I have seen, first hand, some teachers who obviously don't belong in a classroom. Teachers are, too often, more interested in their rules than their students. They are not interested in the lives of their students. They do not care about why students may not perform as expected. They are often ill-equipped to teach their subject.
Now, I do not wish to antagonize teachers as a group. I've heard from a few who have lambasted me for my prior less than complimentary words. Frankly, if you are a teacher and are angry at my assessment, I would suggest that you may be part of the problem. If you are one of the good teachers, then you would know, better than I, that many of your colleagues are not good teachers. Besides, I'm not really blaming the teachers. The teaching environment is not a positive one.
Administrative attitudes contribute to the negative environment. I have yet to figure out why teachers do not have a lot more input when it comes to hiring new teachers, determining what kind of program their school will have, how students will be assigned to classes, what the schedule will be, and other decisions involving students. Administrators should act more like team captains and less like dictators.
Students are also part of the problem. When I substitute teach and the children behave badly, I tell them that while it is true that what they are being offered is, perhaps, substandard, they contribute to the poor environment by refusing to cooperate. If they did cooperate, they would be in a better position to make demands of the teachers and the school system.
The community served by the school system is often not supportive. Frequently, they are unwilling to provide the financial support that is necessary. Many are not involved in the schools even when they have children who are enrolled. While school boards often work diligently to keep parents at arms length, parents need to fight such school boards. You can't ever give up.
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