Teacher and principal biases toward students.

[Carrollton parent]

I recently read these interesting articles regarding bias and favoritism of teachers and pricipals and how it affects students.

http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/showartic...

http://www.psparents.net/Student_Teacher_Conf...

http://handmaidens.org/501/ed.htm

If you are a teacher, principal, or school administrator and you are showing favoritism, talking about students with other students and/or parents, or excluding any of your students due to any biases against or for them, you are doing something wrong. There is no gray area here and there are no excuses....it is simply wrong and unethical. If you are a student privy to such actions, you should not feel a sense of pride and inclusion but instead a sense of disappointment because it is wrong.

I choose to believe that teacher's, principals, and school administration in the Carrollton School District are above reproach with regard to this subject, particularly due to the small student population and the temptation to be accepted or included by the more prominent families through favoritism toward or against any student. Students need the equal acceptance of their teacher's and to know that things are absolutely fair and unbiased in a school system. They should be able to count on that, and depend on it. I believe that if a teacher cannot detach themselves from personal biases, they can no longer be an effective teacher. It takes a great person to always be unbiased. I would think it would be even harder to detach yourself from personal biases towards those you knew when you were younger and wanted to be accepted by, and now find yourself dealing with those same individuals' and/or their children. That is where you have to search your soul and ask yourself if you want to be a good friend or a great teacher. It is certainly a decision each teacher in a community must make at some point in time.

[CHS]

Well, I think that if you ever talk about your students or any students parents to anybody and you are on the staff it not only makes you a bad educator but a terrible person in general as well. I think most of us already know this obligation.

[newbie]

all i can say is you will never live anyplace where being "liked" and "accepted" is more important than your own integrity.

[newbie]

and that seems to be true for the curiculum as well as the the sports and extra ciricular activities, no integrity at all is more important than being included aND Liked by the more popular kids and their parents.

[Mrs Stark]

i am currently an educator at chs, i am tired of all these whiny little brats in this town. they have no principals and they are so dumb over half of them are in "special" classes. we have five special teachers for them in a town of less than 4,500. and yes i look at the names because why would i care if an idiot from this town wants to be in a class when i know it wont make a difference their just going to fail and live in carrollton the rest of their lives with tons of kids on welfare, and living in an apartment building with two rooms.

[concerned]

I feel that if you are going to be an educator, you need to have a higher mentality than the students. Just because someone comes from "across the tracks "does not make them stupid. they could be the smartest student in the school, and you as a teacher would not have a clue, because you do not give them a chance. And in our school, if you dont play sports, you aren't shit. Now what kind of education is that? Sure I played sports when I was in school, but I had to make the grades first. No ifs ands or buts about it. I had no special classes, I had to do it on my own, and frankley the teachers taught me nothing. I learned to do it on my own with lots of hours of reading and doing on my own. Allthe teachers were there for was to keep the "jocks"in good standings. That was girl andf boy jocks. What happened to reading, wrighting, and arithmetic? where did the values of real school go?

[Notes to consider]

Not talking about students or their parents?

Q: If teachers are not allowed to communicate with each other, the studen suffers because their particular needs in education are not likely to be met.

A higher mentality?

Q: Is that truly how an educator must think themselves to be? If that is so, then why be an educator at all? Why not peddle that higher mentality to industry, and not a place where the heart must work in conjuction with the mind and hands to shape the future.

Mrs Stark said: "why should I care about these what?(idiots).

A: I find it hard to believe that you are a mature adult working with kids who need support. You are either not a teacher, someone faking that for this topic, to stir up trouble, or if God Forbid you are. Please, go find work elsewhere because your attitude really troubles me.

[Oldtimer from CHS]

I think you will find ,if the statistics are available, that the majority of people who graduate from CHS do not remain in the community.
Those who do remain are not exactly the highest achievers. Thus the dumbing-down of Carrollton.

[Notes to consider]

I think it is an interesting thing that the phrase "dumbing down" should be used.

Even though the curriculum may be adjusted to the percieved needs of an individual student, this in no way indicates that "dumbing down" is being accomplished.

I believe that adjustments to a students classes are based upon performance and interests, and not an he/or she is too dumb (or should be kept dumb) criteria.

If a person is interested, they will get the knowledge base they percieve they need (some faster than others). And, even if for some reason the individual student record does not allow that individual to attend those classes that they think they want, if they really want to learn something, and the desire is present with them, they will do it on their own, until they aquire the base of knowledge necessary to do the thing that they wish to do, it's human nature.(ie)those leaving and not returning.

[Former CHS]

I doubt that "Mrs Stark" is a teacher. Undoubtedly it is someone who had bad experiences at CHS or the public school system and is trying to vent their feelings. Instead of cloaking yourself under some fictitious position, just come out and state that there are those individuals who do not participate well with others in an educational setting. Some may have a handicap but others have been handicapped by their environment. If you don't like the system explain your reasons.