For those of you in a teaching career, do you find young and teenage students always appreciate your efforts?

This is why I chose to teach 3rd Grade even tho my major and training was in teaching Secondary English.

And yes, teaching children of that age group was very rewarding for me. I loved it.

And I don’t know which private schools you have dealt with, but in the several at which I taught the students and parents definitely did NOT rule.

As a matter of fact, the parents signed an agreement to support the discipline policies of the school and to supervise their children’s homework to ensure that it was done regularly.

These schools were located in inner city areas so these parents were wanting a school situation different from the “anything goes” laxness of the public schools.

I can honestly say that ovwr the years the number of parents who ever gave me flack about anything I could count on the fingers of one hand.

If you are really unhappy teaching HS, have you ever considered giving much younger grades a try? Generally I found a refreshing lack of crappy attitude among most of my third graders. They don’t usually develop that until older :)

@Buttonstc true, attitude comes with adolescence!

Do teenagers appreciate anything? They’re pretty selfish people in general (parents can save the “my child is/was never selfish or ungrateful as a teen” argument here – yes, I’m sure your kids are perfect and the exception to every rule).

You want students to get back a bad grade and then thank you for taking the time to correct everything they wrote? Hm…maybe teaching children wasn’t the right choice.

Your best bet is to hope some of them actually use your suggestions to do better next time, but expecting them to show gratitude for your efforts probably isn’t going to happen.

Some do. Some are just assholes.

I tutor, which is a different situation. However, I am often dealing with children who hate school.

Do you know why they hate school? Because they are forced, every day, to do things they don’t want to do. They have to suffer through mind-numbing tasks when they want to be playing and exploring. They don’t get to immerse themselves in a topic of interest – which is what learning should be like. Instead, they learn to do what needs to be done so they can pass the test. We don’t care what they want to learn – we tell them what’s important. Then, because we discover they are not exactly motivated, we threaten them with tests, bad marks, and extra work. They deal with teachers who behave like they are gods, as well as classmates who tease and bully. At home, most of their parents will pay attention to school. Bad grades will lead to punishment, in many cases.

The entire education system is built on fear, distrust and stress. On both sides. I get your point, I know perfectly well how frustrating teens can be. They are that way, though, because they’ve given up. They are not looking for fun anymore. You said it: They want to “get it over and done with”.

Well, I loved school. I loved learning, I loved doing research projects. I loved most of my teachers, except the one who hit on me every day.

And of course we tell them what they need to learn. You can’t have a classroom of 35 people and have each of them learning their own thing, doing their own thing.

As adults we are forced every day to do things we don’t want to do. Sometimes we get to deal with bosses who think they are God.

It’s life. Doesn’t always do exactly what you want it to do.

^ “You can’t have a classroom of 35 people and have each of them learning their own thing, doing their own thing.”

Why do you believe that?

Look at this, if you’re interested.

Because I’m a teacher. It’s hard enough to keep a classroom under control even when they’re all learning the same thing. If you have 35 4th graders, and each wants to learn their own thing, you’re looking at 35 separate lesson plans you have to come up with, and information and tools for those 35 separate lesson plans, and you have to do this every day. It would just be chaos. If you only have 1 kid at a time, like you do, it would be a snap.

I’ll look further into your link tomorrow when I have more time. But at a glance it looks like they get to learn whatever they want to, which is great, but they still have to sign up for a class that teaches that. It’s the same options I had from Junior High on, when I signed up for electives.

I like what I’ve read so far. This from Wiki on Summerhill: ”There is no concept of a “year” or “form” at Summerhill. Instead, children are placed according to their ability in a given subject. It is not uncommon for a single class to have pupils of widely varying ages, or for pupils as young as 13 or 14 to take GCSE examinations. This structure reflects a belief that children should progress at their own pace, rather than having to meet a set standard by a certain age.” I like the idea of putting kids in classes of interest based on ability, not on age.

Like I said, I’ll look at it further. I still don’t have a real feel of what they do.

Also, they have to pass certain tests, the General Certificate of Secondary Education, and they receive a grade on it.

”students and their parents rule, especially if they are being taught in a private not public institution.

My own experience, both as a teacher and an educational administration in the private sector, specifically the independent day school world, belies that statement. Students and parents agree to the educational philosophy and rules of the independent day school. If there is disagreement or conflict, there are clear protocols in place, none of which involve parents bullying school staff or management, EVER.

But it is also true that students in these schools are chosen in a competitive admission process and want to be there to study and learn.

Germantown Friends School.
National Association of Independent Schools

Also, they have an emphasis on small groups which makes it much easier for everyone. I sent them an email asking about tuition and also pointing out a typo in one of their links. I’m betting that the tuition is really expensive.
And, as @gailcalled mentioned, the kids actually want to be there and want to learn. That isn’t the case in the public school system in America.

In case nobody else noticed, the Summerhill School is in England, not the USA. I’m assuming that makes a huge difference.

Here in the US, as of early 2000, we’ve had to deal with the ramifications of the new legislation called NCLB (No Child Left Behind).

This has, of necessity, prompted the prevalence of what’s known as “teaching to the test”. Many teachers have left the profession in protest.

With this Damocles Sword hanging overhead, there aren’t a whole lot of people willing to risk the type of policies inherent in the “free schooling” movement. Even if they believe in these principles, how many are willing to risk losing their promotions or even their jobs if they don’t produce enough students with high enough test scores.

Teaching to the test, indeed. I’m glad I’m retired.

(Tuition is really expensive but there is a very general Financial Aid program. “Approximately 35% of GFS families receive financial aid.”).

So, what do you ladies think, would the Montessori system be beneficial to both sides?

Isn’t Montessori expensive?

Yes. Tuition and other rates for a Montessori school in New Rochelle, NY, a very expensive commuting suburb of NYC:

http://www.hudsoncountry.org/images/Tuition_Schedule_2014-15_-_page_1.pdf

@Dutchess_III “If you only have 1 kid at a time, like you do, it would be a snap.”

I’m not basing my opinion on my personal teaching experience, though. I’ve been enrolled at a free school, as well as an international one which worked with similar concepts. I have also read an insane amount of books on this, because my family has founded a free school.

Free schools work. Confused about why you’re insisting on 35 pupils – I don’t know many people who support the full classrooms we’re talking about – but what you’re saying does not actually make sense. Teaching and learning is easier when pupils are interested. I’m sure you’ve experienced that yourself. Yeah, planning takes more time, but you won’t be dealing with a group of bored children who resent being at school.

I’m not saying every kid hates school, or even close to that. Consider this, though: You are working with a room full of adults. Your job is to have all of them work on jigsaw puzzles. You are supposed to provide help if necessary, but let them get there on their own. You should also be maintaining a quiet atmosphere. You can choose: You will either let all of them work on the same puzzle, which some like, but 50% don’t want to work on. They either consider it too hard, too easy, or they simply don’t like the picture. Your second option is to choose to hand everyone the puzzle they’d like to be solving.

Which method will lead to an atmosphere of peace, as well as meeting everyone where they are?

My teacher in Korea (where I went to the international school) only had to deal with 15 kids. These kids, however, where from as many as ten different areas in the world. He was teaching Indians, US-Americans, Mexicans, Koreans, Scots, Germans, Swedes, Vietnamese – that’s just off the top of my head. Think about the culture clash. Add in social differences and an age difference of four year, between the oldest and the youngest. Then, add in the fact that it was possible to join the class without any knowledge of English. I knew my colours and some farm animals, basically, on my first day.

That gifted teacher single-handedly dealt with all those difficulties, made learning a wonderful experience, and was able to meet every child’s needs. He split us up into groups based on our skills in any subject, and used quiet working time to teach English to kids like me.

@Buttonstc As you may know, I’m in Germany. I doubt our insane rules on education are less rigid than yours. When the free school close to me was founded, parents were taken to court for enrolling their children. Now, that particular fight is won, but other free schools are still having trouble. Summerhill has had to fight a lot, too.
I don’t know where they are, but I know for a fact that there are free schools in the U.S.

@ZEPHYRA I, for one, don’t like the concept of Montessori a whole lot. They did do a lot of good historically, but today, there are better options.

It’s sad, I get that.
Children and their parents vary, and children are seriously affected by their parents. It sucks, but sometimes what a teacher can do is limited.
But I think that’s what we mean to do. We do what we can. If we can’t help them become the best person they can be, we can help them be better, and that’s the point and that’s what we should be proud of ourselves for.
In that case, I think the matter is how to do that as much as possible. It’s not all educating skills/principles, it’s also communicating and persuading skills that matters here.
Teachers influence a lot on children. And I’m sure your effort and hard-working will be remembered and respected by the children. It’s just a matter of time.