Groves Lincoln Park

My child attended Santa Rita High School and experienced bullying not only by the students but the teachers as well. I had the unfortunate experience of walking up to my son's classroom and witnessing an uncontrolled environment, verbal abuse and humiliation, not by the students; the instructor. Teens have enough to worry about without the extra stress. More progressive conflict resolution and verbal communication skills by staff are in order. Perhaps the model of Jaime Escalante should be taught in schools. Kids are different in today's times so it stands to reason that the old methods for discipline are outdated for handling todays concerns. The answer is not to get rid of troubled students, but to aknowledge they have choices and to help them make the right ones through education. As long as schools are supported through our taxes and Federal funds there is an obligation to teach every student so that they can give back to the community with self esteem and skills aquired. Not every student will be pleasant to deal with, a teacher molds the student over time with care and lots of patience. It is a thankless job, the reward comes from being the catalyst for a positive change and observing the results of your impact on the student. Small drops of water make huge craters in rock over time. Reward small progress and notice something positive in your students, write positive comments and watch the garden grow. Troubled students are the opportunity to fix what is broken. They are the symptom not the problem. The time taken to have a positive impact will reward you years later. I have heard of students coming back years later to see their teachers in nursing homes just to thank them for being their greatest support.