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21
Teacher Highlights ‘New Type Of Parent’ Is To Blame For Uncontrollable Kids, Discussion Ensues
Around the middle of the last century, Winston Churchill aptly said: “Headmasters have powers at their disposal with which Prime Ministers have never yet been invested.” The great politician was referring, of course, to the power that a school teacher has over the minds of their students… but in Churchill’s times there was no Google, no YouTube and no TikTok…
Highlights
- The teacher only manages to teach around 20 minutes per class due to constant distractions.
- Education systems globally have changed significantly, often for the worse, in the 21st century.
- People in the comments mostly supported the teacher, agreeing that education quality has declined.
Today, education, like many areas of our lives, is undergoing numerous and very painful transformations – and it cannot be said that all the changes are for the better. And quite often, lately, there have been video manifestos of teachers who defiantly quit, not wanting to put up with what is happening. This story is one of those.
More info: TikTok
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The author of the video is a school teacher with 24 years of experience – but she recently quit
Image credits: fitpeanut
According to the author, the main problem is the new type of parents who actually don’t care for their kids’ education
So, the Original Poster (OP), the TikToker @fitpeanut, according to herself, is a school teacher with 24 years of experience, and on the day the video was published she officially quit. The author of the video claims that she planned to leave a long time ago, but wanted to wait until the end of the school year. However, her patience didn’t last…
According to the OP, the main reason why work in the profession to which she devoted so many years and effort has become unbearable is the parents. Yes, a new generation of parents with whom she has to deal literally every day.
Parents who consider it normal not to give their kid a pen or notebook to take to school – but at the same time demand a completely special attitude towards themselves and their child in class. While the OP has three dozen of these kids in the classroom at the same time. And more than one hundred over the whole working day.
According to the teacher (okay, now a former teacher), it’s absolutely impossible in the existing school education system to satisfy the needs of literally every kid – if only because these needs are different for each of the thirty children in the class, and are often mutually exclusive.
Image credits: Max Fischer (not the actual photo)
“Your expectations are unrealistic. They are altruistic, and you’re wearing rose-colored glasses, it is not going to happen”
“If you want that, then I suggest you homeschool or maybe send them to a private school. In a public school education, it isn’t going to happen,” the original poster states pessimistically. “And if you think it’s going to happen, you’re fooling yourself. Get off the backs of your teachers.”
Well, if forty-odd years ago Pink Floyd sang: “Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone!” and it was damn relevant, then now the legendary hit is definitely outdated. It is replaced by desperate attempts by the teacher to organize a normal educational process in the classroom.
According to the original poster from another of her videos (which, by the way, has become even more viral, gaining over 1.1M views as of today), she spends about 20 minutes of each lesson actually teaching kids. And that’s if she’s lucky. Everything else is a constant struggle for the children’s attention, desperate attempts to turn them into ears.
The teacher laments that she constantly has to deal with kids who don’t care – simply because their parents don’t care, and she sees no way out of this vicious circle. “Teaching has become a dying profession,” the author sadly states.
Image credits: August de Richelieu (not the actual photo)
It turns out, education systems around the world have undergone significant changes in the 21st century – and not all the changes have been for the better
“Yes, if we compare school education in almost any country, a lot has changed over the past couple of decades. In fact, the teacher has to compete for the students’ attention with a huge variety of other factors – social networks, messengers, videos,” says Volodymyr Nemertsalov, a school principal and teacher from Ukraine, with whom Bored Panda got in touch for a comment here. “Moreover, today’s kids often have a lower degree of concentration – simply because there are way more distractions around them than there were when their parents were kids themselves.”
“In addition, now schoolchildren also have way more sources of information – and information received not from a teacher will not always be truthful and reasonable. The teacher has ceased to be a verified source of knowledge – that’s another problem. And I frankly don’t know how to solve these problems,” Volodymyr ponders.
Okay, let’s look at the numbers. According to data collected by the USA Facts, 8th grade math and reading proficiency fell between 2019 and 2022 to the lowest rates in at least 15 years. At the same time, the public-school student-teacher ratio dropped from 15.9 in fall 2019 to 15.4 in fall 2020 and remained unchanged in 2021.
“Education has changed so much that it is unbearable,” our heroine sums up. “And that’s why there’s a teacher shortage. I have seen education change in 24 years and it hasn’t changed for the better.”
Image credits: Quyn Phạm (not the actual photo)
Watch the full video here
@fitpeanut#teacherstiktok#teachersquitting#foryou#teacherburnout#teach#education#teacher♬ original sound – Teacher,Teacher
People in the comments mostly supported the original poster, agreeing that the quality of school education has only declined in recent years. “Teachers are sounding an alarm and society isn’t listening,” one of the commenters wrote. “Just retired after 37 years of teaching. Well said! Parents just don’t get it!” another person added.
According to some of the author’s colleagues in the comments, the main problem isn’t the children per se. More precisely, not at all children. “I taught grade 8 last year. I’m done. It wasn’t even the kids. It was the parents and admin,” another commenter wrote. And what do you, our dear readers, think about this particular story and the situation with school education in general?
People in the comments mostly sided with the author, claiming that the education quality per se is rather a big social issue nowadays
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What do you think ?
Tams21 1 year ago
I'm a retired teacher from the UK and I totally agree with her. School funding has gone down, expectations from parents have gone up and at times it felt like no matter how hard you worked, you couldn't win. I loved my job but the last few years were increasingly challenging and I don't envy junior teachers that are starting now. I hope it changes.
StrangeOne 1 year ago
Here me out. I don't think it's the teacher's fault. I don't think it's necessarily the student's fault. People are pointing the finger at each other without really looking at the big picture, and I mean the BIG picture, history of the education system and all. Schools have been around for a long time. How kids are taught has evolved and teaching methods used to adjust with the technology and shifts in society. There has been rapid boosts in technological advances in every industry and household life over the past 20 years unlike we've seen in a very long time. Except for the change to white boards, computer use in the classroom and the allowance of cellphones during class, the same old classroom set ups have not changed. Dozens of children sitting at desks for hours, getting a tsunami of information they need to study up on for tests, with little hands-on, exploration activities to keep them engaged and busy, so they're not getting bored and start pestering each other and the teacher.
Scott Rackley 1 year ago
We had a "tsunami" of information directed at us back in the 70s and 80s. The difference today is the discipline of the students. Not discipline as punishment but discipline in sitting in our seat, paying attention, and performing what the teacher asked of us. This originates at home. That's where the fault lies. I never, and could not imagine, my parents getting into an argument with the teacher over something I had done. It was more "Why are you not doing as Mrs. Teacher asks?" "You will do as she asks."
Load More Replies...
Captain McSmoot 1 year ago
FACTS!!! She did such a great job calmly articulating the impossible job teachers are left with.
Niki A 1 year ago (edited)
It's hard to meet expectations when your child texts you that we are switching their class because of an issue between themselves and another student, and you as a parent text back to your child, "Who are they to tell you where to be?" Or when you tell me I should buy the supplies because you have to buy all of their clothes to fit this "new dress code" i.e. wearing appropriate clothes. Or my favorite, "WHy DidN't yOu TElL Me my cHiLd Was FaIlING?!" We did, ma'am/sir, in the multiple letters about possible retention we sent home with your child you never signed, tutoring flyers and rolling phone calls, calls to numbers you change monthly, letters we sent to address where you no longer live apparently, and in the conference you scheduled and scrolled through your phone. I am totally to blame, right?
Kel_how 1 year ago
I just quit my job as a teacher after 6 years. I couldn't take it anymore. I was an elementary Special Education teacher in the general ed classroom, so the majority of my students had learning disabilities, but I also dealt with ADHD, autism, hard of hearing/deaf, mild intellectual disabilities, and a few others. I specifically went into this job to help kids who had learning difficulties, but I was chastised by (only a few) parents for "not following their child's Individualized Education Plan (IEP)." Well, when your kid is having tantrums, throwing things, harassing other students constantly, refusing to do any and all work, and can't read but I have 12 other kids on my caseload, I can't pamper your child. My co-teachers and I did everything mentally and physically possible to follow IEPs and give accommodations, but that was basically our whole day besides dealing with constant discipline issues, medical issues*, and trying to fit in actual teaching.
Kel_how 1 year ago
What should have been a 10-15 minute lesson ALWAYS turned into 45-60 minutes because we'd have to stop every few minutes to deal with discipline. Even when one of us was teaching and the other dealing with behaviors, it generally took both of us to get everyone back on track. And no one was on grade-level for reading, writing, or math, even the general ed kids.*Our district's school "nurse" (no certification) department sent out a list at the beginning of this year of things we had to deal with in the classroom instead of them: nosebleeds, cuts/scrapes, toileting accidents, headaches, sore throat, stomach aches, bruises, nausea/vomiting. Basically, they could go to the nurse for medicine and if they were dying.
Load More Replies... 
Janice 1 year ago
While I understand why they're comparing education now to 20 years ago, I would love to know how kids.to today compare in basic math and reading compared to ... I don't know, but before the internet and before teaching to the test. I'm not calling for a return to the discipline and torture of a 1950s Catholic school, but in terms of literacy, I'd be interested in knowing
Barbara Palermo 1 year ago
Let me preface this with my son is now 28 years old. I was educated in the same school system as he was. He was bullied constantly throughout elementary school. This bullying was mainly by the same children, but others, including the school bus driver joined in. His history with us was that we adopted him when he was in Kindergarten. He apparently had a “V” for victim on his forehead visible only to bullies. He would not complain not fight back due to his history. After one severe incident I contacted the parents of the children. I was told by one mother she was “going to let the school handle it”. I was confused as I always believed that the job of the school is to educate while the job of the parents is to discipline. I was told by the Vice Principal at the school I had overreacted by contacting the parents and alienating my neighbors. I understood the definition of overreacting and what I did definitely was not it. So I called the police and filed a police report on the children.
Barbara Palermo 1 year ago
Continued: I also called the Superintendent of the County School system and made him attend a meeting concerning these children, lack of following county disciplinary policies by the school, and the need for the Vice Principal to have remedial education concerning definitions of words such as overreacting. An earlier year meeting she had told me “they’re such good parents” after they had been found guilty of bullying my son. This is what’s wrong with schools. Parents are expecting teachers to parent the child in addition to teach them. In my area, children are in so many extracurricular activities that there is no time to be a family and learn from the example of a family unit. Children are brought out to show their accomplishments like you would a pet. “Good boy. Now go get your toy and play.” Sad world. Kids are dying for attention even negative. Unfortunately school get this behavior as parents won’t notice.
Load More Replies... Tams21 1 year ago
I'm a retired teacher from the UK and I totally agree with her. School funding has gone down, expectations from parents have gone up and at times it felt like no matter how hard you worked, you couldn't win. I loved my job but the last few years were increasingly challenging and I don't envy junior teachers that are starting now. I hope it changes.
StrangeOne 1 year ago
Here me out. I don't think it's the teacher's fault. I don't think it's necessarily the student's fault. People are pointing the finger at each other without really looking at the big picture, and I mean the BIG picture, history of the education system and all. Schools have been around for a long time. How kids are taught has evolved and teaching methods used to adjust with the technology and shifts in society. There has been rapid boosts in technological advances in every industry and household life over the past 20 years unlike we've seen in a very long time. Except for the change to white boards, computer use in the classroom and the allowance of cellphones during class, the same old classroom set ups have not changed. Dozens of children sitting at desks for hours, getting a tsunami of information they need to study up on for tests, with little hands-on, exploration activities to keep them engaged and busy, so they're not getting bored and start pestering each other and the teacher.
Scott Rackley 1 year ago
We had a "tsunami" of information directed at us back in the 70s and 80s. The difference today is the discipline of the students. Not discipline as punishment but discipline in sitting in our seat, paying attention, and performing what the teacher asked of us. This originates at home. That's where the fault lies. I never, and could not imagine, my parents getting into an argument with the teacher over something I had done. It was more "Why are you not doing as Mrs. Teacher asks?" "You will do as she asks."
Load More Replies... Captain McSmoot 1 year ago
FACTS!!! She did such a great job calmly articulating the impossible job teachers are left with.
Niki A 1 year ago (edited)
It's hard to meet expectations when your child texts you that we are switching their class because of an issue between themselves and another student, and you as a parent text back to your child, "Who are they to tell you where to be?" Or when you tell me I should buy the supplies because you have to buy all of their clothes to fit this "new dress code" i.e. wearing appropriate clothes. Or my favorite, "WHy DidN't yOu TElL Me my cHiLd Was FaIlING?!" We did, ma'am/sir, in the multiple letters about possible retention we sent home with your child you never signed, tutoring flyers and rolling phone calls, calls to numbers you change monthly, letters we sent to address where you no longer live apparently, and in the conference you scheduled and scrolled through your phone. I am totally to blame, right?
Kel_how 1 year ago
I just quit my job as a teacher after 6 years. I couldn't take it anymore. I was an elementary Special Education teacher in the general ed classroom, so the majority of my students had learning disabilities, but I also dealt with ADHD, autism, hard of hearing/deaf, mild intellectual disabilities, and a few others. I specifically went into this job to help kids who had learning difficulties, but I was chastised by (only a few) parents for "not following their child's Individualized Education Plan (IEP)." Well, when your kid is having tantrums, throwing things, harassing other students constantly, refusing to do any and all work, and can't read but I have 12 other kids on my caseload, I can't pamper your child. My co-teachers and I did everything mentally and physically possible to follow IEPs and give accommodations, but that was basically our whole day besides dealing with constant discipline issues, medical issues*, and trying to fit in actual teaching.
Kel_how 1 year ago
What should have been a 10-15 minute lesson ALWAYS turned into 45-60 minutes because we'd have to stop every few minutes to deal with discipline. Even when one of us was teaching and the other dealing with behaviors, it generally took both of us to get everyone back on track. And no one was on grade-level for reading, writing, or math, even the general ed kids.*Our district's school "nurse" (no certification) department sent out a list at the beginning of this year of things we had to deal with in the classroom instead of them: nosebleeds, cuts/scrapes, toileting accidents, headaches, sore throat, stomach aches, bruises, nausea/vomiting. Basically, they could go to the nurse for medicine and if they were dying.
Load More Replies... Janice 1 year ago
While I understand why they're comparing education now to 20 years ago, I would love to know how kids.to today compare in basic math and reading compared to ... I don't know, but before the internet and before teaching to the test. I'm not calling for a return to the discipline and torture of a 1950s Catholic school, but in terms of literacy, I'd be interested in knowing
Barbara Palermo 1 year ago
Let me preface this with my son is now 28 years old. I was educated in the same school system as he was. He was bullied constantly throughout elementary school. This bullying was mainly by the same children, but others, including the school bus driver joined in. His history with us was that we adopted him when he was in Kindergarten. He apparently had a “V” for victim on his forehead visible only to bullies. He would not complain not fight back due to his history. After one severe incident I contacted the parents of the children. I was told by one mother she was “going to let the school handle it”. I was confused as I always believed that the job of the school is to educate while the job of the parents is to discipline. I was told by the Vice Principal at the school I had overreacted by contacting the parents and alienating my neighbors. I understood the definition of overreacting and what I did definitely was not it. So I called the police and filed a police report on the children.
Barbara Palermo 1 year ago
Continued: I also called the Superintendent of the County School system and made him attend a meeting concerning these children, lack of following county disciplinary policies by the school, and the need for the Vice Principal to have remedial education concerning definitions of words such as overreacting. An earlier year meeting she had told me “they’re such good parents” after they had been found guilty of bullying my son. This is what’s wrong with schools. Parents are expecting teachers to parent the child in addition to teach them. In my area, children are in so many extracurricular activities that there is no time to be a family and learn from the example of a family unit. Children are brought out to show their accomplishments like you would a pet. “Good boy. Now go get your toy and play.” Sad world. Kids are dying for attention even negative. Unfortunately school get this behavior as parents won’t notice.
Load More Replies...
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