Education in America is in the crapper. We allow kids to get away with murder and we remove any power a classroom teacher may have. To make matters worse, we allow lazy, under inspired teachers to be in a classroom.

Reform?

Teach for America seems like a scam to me because it doesn't recognize that there are some experienced teachers out there who can do the job and do it well. Everything I learned in school and in the classroom indicates that the best teachers are those who are intelligent in their jobs, experienced and well-supported. Throwing unexperienced 21 year olds in a class of kids who could care less because they have been treated poorly and have not been given a fair shake doesn't seem to be the fix either.

Now we could go after teacher's unions. They are responsible for the teacher attitude of "I don't have to do that" as in, "I don't have to go to my student's concert because it's not in my job description." Really? Shouldn't teachers be interested in the growth of their students. I know I appreciate seeing another side to my students. More importantly, they enjoy knowing that I've seen their talent outside the classroom. This was true even in private school where it was mandatory to attend concerts and such. However, teacher's unions don't make bad teachers; they make mediocre teachers lazy and then bad. Good teachers are good teachers regardless of the system they're in.

Lack of funding seems like the biggest flaw in reform. Throwing more money at schools will not make them better. Paying lazy teacher more money will not make them less lazy. Giving students who need glasses and a some real food a new computer won't make them math geniuses. Professional development is a joke and many teachers only attend because they have to. Very rarely do I see teachers return from any conference charged like I returned from the NCTE conference four years ago. Schools don't want to send teachers to the conferences that are meaningful either. When I interviewed this summer, one administrator gave me grief because I asked if the school would allow me to go to a conference on what's new in young adult literature. God forbid I want to know about what might work for students!!!

The lack of discipline is killing education. Kids are not responsible for their work. Parents attack teachers when their child fails because they automatically assume their child actually did the work. Schools force teachers to accept late work. Students don't have to give up precious lunch time to use the restroom; they can just leave the classroom. Seriously, when did you ever sit in a class and have to go so badly that you pitched a fit? For me, never. And, I never used the time-of-the-month excuse either -- ever.

I have a co-worker who is considering leaving teaching because he's tired of the crap. I am getting that way too.