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> I think the problem with public schools is really the teachers. They have put themselves on a pedestal and been conditioned into a serious superiority complex

> I think the problem with public schools is really the teachers. They have put themselves on a pedestal and been conditioned into a serious superiority complex. I went to public school. Where I'm from our schools, at least high school, performed at or near the top of the state performance (not a state with terrible education). I agree with your analysis. There were only a handful of teachers who were neutral or even good, many were self absorbed and put the role of "teacher", as expressed in the public school environment rather than generally, above all else. If I am able to get married and have kids I refuse to send them to public school, it's either homeschooling or private.

xhkkffbf 4y ago
I have to agree that this is often true. And they're not even shy about it. One teacher at my school has enough time to post political memes on Facebook at least four to five times a day. And the timestamps make it pretty obvious that he's doing it during the school day. But he doesn't care. The union has his back and he's going to be there forever until he collects his huge pension.
yamtaddle 4y ago
You can blame the teachers, but if you think the public school environment is a cesspit of social dysfunction, authoritarianism, and abuse for the kids... well, it's not much better for the teachers. The system molds the kinds of bad teachers you saw, and drives out the good ones who don't thrive in that kind of toxic environment.
- TheFreim 4y ago
  > The system molds the kinds of bad teachers you saw This is probably true, and that's why I oppose the system generally. There are a myriad of issues which could be addressed, but unfortunately I don't see that happening, so I encourage disengagement from the public schooling system whenever possible. It's going to be better, and easier, to build new homeschooling networks and private institutions rather than fix government schools. One of the worst things is how repeatedly we were told to "think outside the box" until that resulted in disagreement or something that didn't fit the grading/testing paradigm. Then it became a time for, as you say, authoritarian crushing down. I can only remember one teacher who fostered an environment that was both structured while still encouraging real discussion and thought, they were probably my favorite teacher which is interesting since they were also the one who I disagreed with most vehemently. I wish it had been like that more.

xhkkffbf 4y ago

I have to agree that this is often true. And they're not even shy about it. One teacher at my school has enough time to post political memes on Facebook at least four to five times a day. And the timestamps make it pretty obvious that he's doing it during the school day. But he doesn't care. The union has his back and he's going to be there forever until he collects his huge pension.

yamtaddle 4y ago

You can blame the teachers, but if you think the public school environment is a cesspit of social dysfunction, authoritarianism, and abuse for the kids... well, it's not much better for the teachers. The system molds the kinds of bad teachers you saw, and drives out the good ones who don't thrive in that kind of toxic environment.

TheFreim 4y ago
> The system molds the kinds of bad teachers you saw This is probably true, and that's why I oppose the system generally. There are a myriad of issues which could be addressed, but unfortunately I don't see that happening, so I encourage disengagement from the public schooling system whenever possible. It's going to be better, and easier, to build new homeschooling networks and private institutions rather than fix government schools. One of the worst things is how repeatedly we were told to "think outside the box" until that resulted in disagreement or something that didn't fit the grading/testing paradigm. Then it became a time for, as you say, authoritarian crushing down. I can only remember one teacher who fostered an environment that was both structured while still encouraging real discussion and thought, they were probably my favorite teacher which is interesting since they were also the one who I disagreed with most vehemently. I wish it had been like that more.