About to go through my own Hero's Journey at work (ref. Joseph Campbell)

[The Tourist]

To be honest, and I'm not trying to dish teachers, the state of schools today and curriculum is terrible.

Agreed, but then what is the responsibility of the individual teacher? Frankly, the problem stems from 'zero tolerance' aministrators, lax parents and politcal correctness. Additionally, teachers are not all powerful embassadors, babysitters or Jedi Knights. They are employees with the same supposed protections as you or me on the job.

"Kids are our future," that is, until you have to actually spend time with them. Then they take on the guise of a cocker spaniel puppy that needs to be house-broken. Everyone else, including their own parents, want someone else--anybody else--to clean up the errant pee.

This extends to crimes, deviant drug behavior, truancy and now assaults.

I buy a car, it's a lemon, it goes back to the dealership. Your kid is a loose nut, take him back to the parents. Don't expect the teacher operating under bizarre ROEs to do what you yourself would not.

If your story encompasses aspects of teaching, or your background as a teacher influences your writing, use this as a plot point.

[superpsycho]

Agreed, but then what is the responsibility of the individual teacher? Frankly, the problem stems from 'zero tolerance' aministrators, lax parents and politcal correctness. Additionally, teachers are not all powerful embassadors, babysitters or Jedi Knights. They are employees with the same supposed protections as you or me on the job.

"Kids are our future," that is, until you have to actually spend time with them. Then they take on the guise of a cocker spaniel puppy that needs to be house-broken. Everyone else, including their own parents, want someone else--anybody else--to clean up the errant pee.

This extends to crimes, deviant drug behavior, truancy and now assaults.

I buy a car, it's a lemon, it goes back to the dealership. Your kid is a loose nut, take him back to the parents. Don't expect the teacher operating under bizarre ROEs to do what you yourself would not.

If your story encompasses aspects of teaching, or your background as a teacher influences your writing, use this as a plot point.

The issue for me is one of responsibility as an adult and as a human being. As people we have gotten lazy when it comes to our immediate community. It's easy to say let someone else deal with it. I have seen adults and kids commit suicide because no one wanted to get involved. If she is beyond help that is one thing but until you know that for sure, why give up on a life. It seems easy to say life has value until it comes to doing more then giving it lip service.

Sorry, I don't just turn a blind eye when there is still a chance if all it may take is a little time and thought.

[The Tourist]

Sorry, I don't just turn a blind eye when there is still a chance if all it may take is a little time and thought.

And whether the lead thinks this way or not affects the story. I drag my life around--pro and con--into the things I create on paper, why not a teacher?

BTW, wouldn't the time period of the story also affect this concept? If written with 1950s values, a major student infraction would be chewing gum. Taken in a modern setting, the problems would be guns and metal detectors.

And you could go against type. For example, one of the orangutans in the modern rendition of "The Planet of the Apes" hated handguns. This part was played by Charlton Heston.

If the values of the author/teacher are important to either the plot or the author personally, they might take the opposing side of the issue to enhance the depth of the concerns.

[mammamaia]

story?

is this whole thread about a story the op is writing?... i thought he was describing something he's having to deal with in real life... have i missed something?

[superpsycho]

Oh it's all those things. You have to understand, she does not want to learn. She only wants to socialize with her friends and have fun. That's what makes this problem so hard to tackle. How do I teach her while validating her? How do I help her while helping the class? How do I focus on her and others? It's just what we do for a living I guess. But unfortunately, I have to do something, I can no longer be complacent and run that class the same way.

Class assignment.
- What is the top three things you want to be when you grow up?
- What are the last three things who want to be when you grow up?

Theses two questions should be asked every year and the answers should be between the teacher and student only.