http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/07/education/07winerip.html?pagewanted=all

You write: “By “Teaching with passion” (about what YOU think your students should be learning, ,instead of what an analysis of what they CAN AND CANNOT do, and providing student-appropriate instruction),….and “Hoping for the best” you are continuing the inequalities inherent in public education, and ensuring that ths and future generations remain locked in the vicious cycles of poverty, crime, segregation and ill health. Shame on all those that don’t think it is important to professionally determine what you CAN do (rather than what you cannot) to help students”
 
Hysterical!  Basically, you’re calling me the problem.  Once again, hysterical!  Here’s why:

  I know better than anyone what my students “CAN AND CANNOT do” - they’re my students Weharb.   The specific class I was speaking of CANNOT read nor write past a 5th grade level – yet they are in classes that must mirror the mainstream in the curriculum of the specific grade level.   They do not know the meaning of  age appropriate vocabulary. They cannot write complete sentences without numerous grammatical errors.    One student today could not figure out what the word “Tear” meant and once told what it did mean, could not link it to the word ”rip.”  (I was reviewing for the reading RCT and having them use one of many techniques that might assure them a passing grade – context clues)    I address all these issues and many more, but it still will not help on a Regents exam that is geared to an 11th grade student if they do not attend regularly, do not do homework, the school does not suppy a working phone number or the student is motivated to learn – these among the others I posted previously.

 What do I do to battle these problems?  I make phone calls every week.  I scaffold everything I teach. I use visuals – not boring visuals but visuals that in my opinion are striking, ”cool”, up to date.   I address and teach material that they should have learned and mastered years ago in elementary school and junior high. Now, I have to be careful – this is as I mentioned an 11th grade class and not a 4th grade class.    I take my time and make the class  interesting. I fight the urge and WIN  everytime a part of my mind says, “Don’t go full out for these kids – it’s just to stressful – you;ve alreadyseen over 140 kids today.”   I am dynamic in the classroom because – well to put it honestly – these are the type of kids that cut regularly and fall asleep easily.  Hey, Weharb, I also teach with a passion.  I actually have a reputation for it in my school.  The kids love it.  Kids I’ve never had before have approached me and said they wish they had me for a teacher.    The passion shows them I really enjoy the career I’ve choosen.  See, I can’t teach them DIck and Jane books because, my kids will be embarrassed about that.  They’re good kids, but the dirty little secret about them is that they actually want to be like everyone else – or atleast appear like everyone else.  If the other kids see them with a 4th grade level reading book – which my school doesn’t have by the way, they’ll get laughed at.  This might very well make one of them think things they should not be thinking – think the “S” word which I’ve personally have been witness to hearing students of the like mutter a number of times before. 

You say that I help in “continuing the inequalities inherent in public education, and ensuring that ths and future generations remain locked in the vicious cycles of poverty, crime, segregation and ill health”  – Are you serious?  If, according to you, I am the problem, there is no hope!  And I do not by any means mean that I am the only one who does this – there are COUNTLESS teachers who do this on all levels – many are reading the comment section right now.   I think you are just blind to the fact that the system contains students such as these.  WAKE UP!  It’s a sad truth, it’s frustrating to admit, but it is our sad but true.  Very few of these kids that I have just mentioned are going to attend a community college and last for a year.  How could they if only four years earlier they were reading at a 3 – 5th grade level – and did you think about the other factors affecting their lives that I mentioned earlier?  No – probably not!  If anything, I know I have for the past 15 years taken every opportunity to make these students feel respected and have made it known to them that there is good in them – even if they do end up failing my class.  I wish you could tell them what you think of me – I know for a fact they would INSTANTLY disagree.  Some will even get angry that you “went madd hard” at one of the only people that ever gave a F%^ck about them.   “Weharb” would be your saving grace – they would just laugh.