"The First Day of School" - What it Was Missing

Some Missing Chapters are in Order

Harry Wong's chinty little masterpiece -- masterful in covering up the unseemly aspects of public education -- needs another set of chapters on the ins and outs -- mostly, outs -- of teaching.

Here is a sampling of headings that I would include in a revision of the book, the stark and tell-aspects of the public school system that every new teacher needs to know if they really want to go into public education, if they really believe in the shameless enterprise which seems to do more harm than good.

--The Administrators are Not Your Friends

I cannot relate the number of times that I have bee thrown under the bus because of neophyte or cowardly administrators who cared more about saving their jobs than doing well by the teachers.

The growing number of new administrators, just like the increasing number of new teachers replacing burned-out instructors and retirees who cannot wait to quit, is a disconcerting trend.

Older administrators at least have enough experience and enough political leverage to stand up to parents and union reps. New administrators, like the incompetent leaders which I had to deal with at South East High School, had barely a year of experience when I showed up, and their inexperience and lack of diligence really showed.

One administrator was so foolish, one young lady lied about me to another colleague and administrator, only to have me written up because these false reports were confirmed by a handful of vindictive students. The sorrow of seeing our schools run by craven leaders who will cowtow to students and parents instead of giving them what they need is truly appalling.

--Students Get Away with Everything

Budget shortfalls and lawsuits are eating away at the general funds in depleted school districts. Administrators are getting more jittery about the fiscal future of their schools and the districts where they work. Fearing legal reprisals, more school leaders are discouraging their teachers from meting out consistent discipline.

Students now are getting away with much more in our schools, which sadly means that they are getting away with much less once they graduate, if they do receive a diploma.

--Get Used to Geting Very Little to Use

Budget cuts all the way -- how many supplies do you really plan on receiving at the beginning of the year? If you assume that the department chair will have the resources all lined up and ready for you to take, you are greatly mistaken.

--Students are Less Inclined to Cooperate than in Years Past

I was shaken up by this disturbing trend. Students as a rule have not been mproperly reare or rasied to respect their elders. In some cultures, parents baby their kids, refusing to hold them accountable when they fail. One students was earning nothing but D's and F's, yet he reported to me that his parents bought him a video game console with a bunch of popular titles. Parents are supposed to be inspiring respect and a diligent work-ethnic in their children, not pandering to them no matter what they do!

In a growing number of instances, I found myself working with only a single parent, or both parents were impossible to reach. In some cases, parents accused me of race-baiting when I was holding students accountable.

--You Will be Investing More Time in Crowd Control Than Teaching

I know that many teachers really want to make a difference in the lives of their students, yet they cannot do much when young people learn no respect at home, then get shuffled through twelves years of public school, doing very little and getting away with much.

A teacher who wants to do the best that he can will face an uphill battle contendign with teacehrs and parents who expect that their kids will get away with everything.

This is an unfortunate trend. Real caring means that no one gets away with anything -- yet how many referrals can a teacher write before the reality sures to the surface: most administrators do not want to deal with the discipline issues in our schools because they do not want to face the heat of fired-up upper eschelon district officialsa or irate parents who think that their kids are God's gift to humanity.

Because a growing number of teachers know that they will have no support from their campus leaders, they have had to content themselves with crowd control at best, for a teacher cannot teach if he is not permitted to command respect.