quote:

Originally posted by GWbiker:
About 20 Nuns with 18" rulers will restore order.

^^^THIS^^^

I remember those "lessons" well.

The 5 schools mentioned here are problems, no question about that. But these schools are just places where the larger problem shows up. Harrisburg is plagued with crime and gang violence. Not as bad as nearby Reading and parts of Philly, but it's getting there.

When my kids were little, long ago, I used to bring them to "Kipona", an end-of-summer annual festival on the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg. 12-15 years later, I wouldn't bring them now, if they were little, even armed. Whites have been beaten and robbed just a couple of blocks from the "festivities". Cars leaving "restaurant row" in Harrisburg-- with some excellent restaurants-- are often attacked at night. If they are stuck in traffic, "teens" will jump on the hood and roof, throw bottles, bricks.

I know Harrisburg pretty well, but last summer a detour and then one-way streets sent me into Allison Hill. I unbuckled my seat belt to have better access to my Sig. I got through it okay, but... this is the kind of thing that is happening across our country now. There have always been "bad sections" but they are more numerous and expanding.

My point is that this is a big problem, not confined to certain schools.

I retired from public government 3 years ago and signed up as a substitute teacher in 3 school districts so I could work when I wanted, and how many days I wanted. The schools are so out of control, that I only now work for 1 Vocational School District. Two months ago I had a 9th grade student who couldn't read or write tell me if any white people wandered into his hood, they have Ak's, AR's, and 9mm to deal with them.
I have been called every derogatory name that a white person can be called. I dealt with Crips, Bloods and the other gangs.
I don't blame any of the 45 teachers from leaving a dangerous job. I didn't work in a city like they did and can't imagine how back it actually is, I've only heard the stories from teachers that move here to get away.

quote:

Originally posted by ptb351:

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:

quote:

Superintendent ... told Fox News 43 she would need help from home too.

Who are you, again, and what planet did you say you were from?

I have worked in public schools for pushing 20 years now....if we had more "parenting" out there, public schools would be in much better shape. I know it is popular these days to bash public education(and sometimes, rightfully so), but parenting is at an all time low........can't educate little Johnny if he comes to school 2 days a week. Kids come in(when they come in).....late, hungry, no support at home, mommy playing the best friend role, texting their kid during class....it is a mess.

and schools are asked(or mandated by crazy laws) to do more and more....they are taking over parenting responsibilities...very scary.

What happened in PA does not surprise me. While isolated(for now) from much of that where I am in Maine, student behavior is certainly not getting any better.

Absolutely true. Ive also been involved I education for quite awhile, right now Im working in "rural" Alaska and the parenting in these villages is a joke. Alcohol abuse like you wouldn't believe, parents simply not being in town for weeks on end, no food in their houses because they spent all their $$$ on booze and weed etc. Its pretty grim.

On a positive note, kids out here know how shitty things are at their home so when they come to school they are for the most part eager to be there and willing to learn even though most of them are performing FAR below their state grade levels.

quote:

Originally posted by ASKSmith:
We had an incident locally. I can't remember the age/grade of the student, but the teacher took the student's cellphone away (which was not allowed in class).

The reaction of the parents was to drag the teacher out of her car and beat her with a brick.

I believe the mother of the student is facing felony charges.

That would not likely happen in Utah, where teachers are allowed to carry concealed on school property. For that matter, parents here are allowed to carry concealed. In my experience, police here support concealed carry holders, because they tend to support law and order and they respect the local police who enforce it.

Many of the cities with the worst violence in schools are places where owning or carrying a firearm is illegal or highly restricted. In situations where good people are disarmed by conspiring politicians who have sympathy only for thugs who hurt people, good people have little means to protect themselves or change the situation.

So they blame the teachers, or the police, and they will never fix the problem because they only have sympathy for the thugs that hurt people.

In the schools I went to in the 1960s and 1970s, the worst misbehavior directed at the teachers was maybe to blow spitballs at them. Absolutely never can I recall an actual assault.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
In the schools I went to in the 1960s and 1970s, the worst misbehavior directed at the teachers was maybe to blow spitballs at them. Absolutely never can I recall an actual assault.

Absolutely! Although my schooling was a decade earlier. And any discipline administered at school (yes--it happened) was duplicated later at home!

flashguy.