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Tuesday, June 27, 2006
To Wake or Not To Wake?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A reporter observes a sleeping eighth-grade student inside a summer school classroom. The teacher ignores the sleeping student and makes no attempt to wake the snoozer. The reporter returns to the newsroom and mentions this observation, sparking discussion:
Does a teacher have an obligation to this student? Or is it okay for the teacher to say, “I’m here to teach. This student has made the decision not to learn.”? The broader issue is, how far should summer school teachers go in trying to get their kids over the CRCT hurdle?
My colleague witnessed a teacher with a whatever-it-takes attitude, determined to do everything possible to help his students pass. Then she saw the flip side. Some middle school teachers had the attitude that these kids got behind in elementary school and now there is nothing that can be done for them. Does this attitude make you cringe or are these teachers just stating reality?
