07/5/2012:
"So this is saying not to go to high school? Not a very good message for
the kids! It depends on what high school, catholic high schools are a very
safe environment and have very good teachers. To assume the teachers are
bored and don't know what they are talking about leads me to dislike this
article. Maybe you could state some pros instead of all the cons.
"
04/30/2012:
""a signal that you should look elsewhere." For most people, there is no
elsewhere!
"
02/21/2012:
"I'm 15 and at least for me its all about attitude. If want to learn and do
well, all the while loving learning. You will do fine!
"
07/18/2011:
"Children are influenced by their surroundings. The kind of neighborhood
can have a bad reflection in the schools.
Irma Suarez Montes de Oca
"
03/30/2011:
"You can tell how bad a school is by looking at what kind of students are
attending and by looking at the staff that runs the school, especially in
the main office. It has a lot to do with the neighborhood."
03/25/2011:
"What's not mentioned is the lack of good support. What I want is a site
budget which covers my basic needs as a teacher, as I no longer am
willing (or able) to buy the students basic learning supplies. I am no
longer going to buy educational DVD's, little treats to make them behave,
or much of anything else. The consequences of non-support of our public
schools are becoming evident.
Teachers like me simply won't go the extra mile any more, as we're getting
assaulted by the standards movement, the Christian people, the charter
school people, the gay and lesbian community, the bilingual folks, the
be-nice-to-immigrants movement, the
I-won't-study-but-you're-to-blame-teacher movement, the sports movement,
the music-art-vocational movement, the math-and-science movement. I am
also not accepting responsibility for young adults who indulge themselves
in drugs, pre marital sex, ridiculous amounts of television and video
games, or other wastes of time."
03/25/2011:
"I can also tell you that a school that allows so many students to dress
like gang members with body piercings is another sign of a bad High
School.
Irma Suarez Montes de Oca"
01/31/2011:
"It isn't easy or even possible many times to save money in a recession.
The poster who thinks parents are being selfish is really out of touch. We
are talking foreclosures and 2 years of highly difficult job searches. I
know, I am a single mom who was laid off a year and a half ago. My son is
home schooled because I can't afford tuition and it doesn't look like I
will be gainfully employed any time soon. While I realize I may not be the
person you are thinking about while commenting, this is not the time to
castigate parents for being unable to save. It is ignorant to reduce it to
giving up Starbucks and McDonalds!"
01/31/2011:
"I am a good teacher. How do good teachers avoid bad schools? Bad
principals, and skewed data?"
01/24/2011:
"In response to the person who was talking about sending their child to an
out of district school... 'Should we really be putting a price on our
childs education?' I know times are tough, but money shouldn't be an issue
when it comes to our childrens education. Education is the most important
part of someones life. There are many ways to scrape up the additional
money such as cutting back on luxuries (coffee, fast food, jewelry,
clothes, getting your hair done, etc... People need to put their children
first and stop being selfish. Or if you still cant afford it, try talking
with the other school district about getting help with the taxes. It may
or may not work, but you can still try. "
01/24/2011:
"This article is lacking in anything a normal parent would not have already
thought of! Give us something insightful."
01/24/2011:
"I think that a parent has to speak to teachers first and find out what the
teacher has hoped to accomplish and find out if what the teacher asked for
was either supported by the school's administration or blocked by the
school's admin. Many teachers, for example, have a behavior plan that
requires sufficient administrative support. Teachers need the support
when they decide to send a student out of class for the day when he or she
refuses to be respectful to both adults and peers or refuses to be
uncooperative. There's a haste to declare that a teacher 'has no control
of his/her class.' A teacher has about one third the power of a principal
and one tenth the power of a parent not because the average teacher is a
lax wimp but because a lot of power has been stripped from teachers today."
01/24/2011:
"You cannot just pick a high school. If you live in one district but want
to send your child to school in another district, you have to pay the
school taxes for where you live, plus the ones for the other district. To
do this where I live, it would be an additional $7500 a year."
01/24/2011:
"Your advice, although well intended is not always practical. Schools in
most areas have been under court orders to desegregate. This means that
students attend schools that they are zoned to attend according to where
they live. There is really no 'school choice'. The only choice parents
have is whether or not to live in a certain school zone. Property value in
good school zones is very high and unaffordable to many. Additionally, the
number of students graduating is not always indictative of a schools
success. To accommodate NCLB, many schools have lowered their standards in
order to pass more students. The problem becomes evident when community
colleges have an influx of H.S. graduates who are not able to do college
level work."
01/24/2011:
"Let's stop bashing teachers and start praising and appreciating them
instead! They are grossly underpaid for the work that they do day in and
day out. They start very early and stay very late WITHOUT being paid
overtime. Support your school and your teacher. Give to the PTA...that's
how to keep your school funded, safe and GREAT!"
01/24/2011:
"Articles are obsessed with 'Bad teachers'...what about parents who don't
insist their kids do their homework or always believe a teacher 'is out
for me altho I didn't do anything' (usually NOT true!) I really think if
parents took a few vacation days to really see what goes on in their kids'
classrooms they would be surprised at the level of talking back, etc,
teachers have to take these days.
Public schools have to take all levels of ability and disfunction....kids
with behavior IEPs can't be disciplined by detention and expulsion but
won't respond to intervention and parents often don't really understand
the level of acting out that child is performing at, making the teacher
caught between trying to meet that behavior IEP and keeping other kids
safe.
There are a lot of great students, but having several seriously disturbed
kids in a class makes it hard to do actual teaching, which is unfair to
the majority of the kids and the public school system."
01/24/2011:
"To the teenagers who have responded to this post: The list you are
referring to describes bad teachers--not bad students. If your grownup
teacher acts unprofessionally, that is a problem."
01/24/2011:
"To the teenagers who have responded to this post: The list you are
referring to describes bad teachers--not bad students. If your grownup
teacher acts unprofessionally, that is a problem."
08/6/2010:
"I like the information you wrote, but the problem is that, if I choose
another school in other city that I know is better, I can't do it because
I have to live in that city."
03/29/2010:
"This is a very astute observation, not to mention common sense. My 14 yo
son went to a good, structured private school until 8th grade when he
transferred into a different private school that had bad teaching and
staff that just didn't 'get' kids. As a result, he disengaged and
developed severe behavior problems resulting in placement in a therapeutic
setting. At the time i was not aware of these issues and tried addressing
them with the school principal and teachers without success. The bad
teachers are still at the school. Never underestimate a school's impact on
your child."
12/7/2009:
"I studied and reported on many schools as a project reporter for the
Commission on Elementary and Secondary Education in NY State...
After a few months, I could tell a school's rating for excellence by
walking in the front door...
You can feel it!
So visit the school when it is in session...walk around...
Best, Neal"
11/24/2009:
"I'm writina paper on Private Schools vs Public Schools, and tis ha been a
great sense of information for my paper and statistics are true! I grew up
going to public schools, and it wore me out! just with the popularit
standards, and definetly the violence! Thanks so much for this!"
11/19/2009:
"Not every high schooler has no brains. I'm 14 and I know how to act in a classroom with or without a teacher there."
11/18/2009:
"uhh. me and kate are high schoolers and we highly disagree with this. we
know how to act at the age of 16. just because were young and like too
have fun doesnt mean we 'act unprofessionally.' were teenagers, not
suppost too act like that yet. thanks for your time (:"
11/10/2009:
"Not only does this article describe our high school but our elementary
school as well. If we call the sate, will they tell us if our school is
not performing up to standard? What are our options since this is a public
school system?"
11/10/2009:
"Thank you for this article. I am a parent of a middle school child that is
looking at our local high schools to see which is the best fit for him. It
just validates my concerns to have him receive the best education possible
in a safe and engaged learning environment."
10/27/2009:
"Good high schools have facility concerned about students. If not, you
have a bad high school. I have undergrad and 3 years experience in HS and
14 years in Junior Colleges.
"
