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Is_it_me, perhaps their emotional/core appeal might turn off some people by conveying a sense of congeniality amongst the staff and their underperforming students. This is something that people who have not taught populations of great need (immigrants, low reading level/low skills etc…) have experience dealing with.

What would you do if the students that you have been given are spotty attendance, are continuously distracted and have very low academic skills? The automatic reaction of people outside of teaching would be, “I would tell him/her that you mean business and that you would not take a no for an answer.” These students would simply ignore you and there is nothing that you will be able to do. Perhaps these might not be the best examples of students in the world but the reality is that many of the larger HS that are left and are slated for extinction have to educate students with these sort of problems.

Not everyone can get it the first time, nor the third or fourth time.

While it might be a drag to the tax payer and perhaps to the DOE, students are entitled to be in school, attempting to graduate until they are 21 years old. That is the law. That means that theoretically when a freshman comes in to school at 14, they are given 7 years to graduate.

I did my graduating and learning the language in 3 years but some students obviously need more.

So, yes, while they might show emotion in their videos, these teachers are typical and are more effective than the sticklers that believe they can come from somewhere, be given these students and think that they can be drilled into them that they need to “listen” to the drill sargent.

A world without these high need students might make sense monetarily but, it is a world filled with fantasy.

I am afraid for these students, for they will be placed somewhere to eventually frustrate them into dropping out.

Eventually, if and when you see the same kids in the streets doing something unsavory to someone you know, then perhaps you will see those few words of care and more resources they might have gotten at their “failing” schools, would have been money well spent.

1 year spent on a NYC HS student: $10000-12000.

Theoretical time it takes for needy students to graduate: 5-7 years.

Total cost: $70,000.

1 year spent incarcerating someone: $30000

Conclusion, money is always better spent educating someone unless you want to subsidize someone’s life forever.

So, you wonder whether society at large can “afford” not to educate these kids, because that is what you are implying about the closure of schools such as Jamaica.

jamaica was given a new leader 2 years ago, one who had no prior experience at running a school, and that was after 5 years of another principal who by the way also had 0 years experience at running a school …….. can you see the pattern…. dont you think that it is very curious that the DOE would place inexperienced leaders in a place that they claim to have been in decline for years before that? maybe they should have hired someone with some knowledge about how to turn a school around rather than then leave these children with admins that wont listen to what the real problems are and address them…..