Respect In Schools

Just my view but anyone that tells you that they never had a teacher that didn't look down on them is probably in denial or they were oblivious.

I think it's probably unrealistic to think that anyone that comes in contact with several hundred people a day is going to get along with all of them though.

I have had nasty teachers, mean teachers, and one whom I now know was certifiably crazy. My son had a teacher who was a skiing nut. If it looked like the weekend was going to be bad for skiing, she would act abominably to the students on Fridays.

As a student, you need to know that teachers are human beings. They have their good days and bad days. If there is a teacher that you think is blatantly unreasonable, you need to discuss this with your parents, so that they can talk to the principal about the teacher.

When you say that the students want to take, "a peaceful stand" what exactly do you mean?

I am a junior at a high school in Midwest City, Oklahoma.

Apparently, it's the Midwest's version of "the Bronx." 60% of the students at my school are too busy trying to stay gangster and defending their Bloods and Cripps turf to listen to teachers. I am generalizing, but only from my own experience. I hear students smart mouthing teachers' reasonable requests everyday. If they don't get their way, they throw a fit. It's un-hip to be intelligent, pay attention, actually sit still for 80 minutes and perhaps do your work. I was utterly shocked when I got back into public school (after a two-year home schooling hiatus). I kept thinking to myself, "this is high school? You're kidding me."

In my experience, the teachers have every right not to show certain students respect. They beg to be slapped, I'm amazed at the teachers' abilities to restrain from doing so! Of course there is always that one teacher that just has their panties in a bunch for no apparent reason; but for every teacher like that, there are 20 students, and I can't say I pity them at all when they are disrespected by the teachers. In fact, I usually breath a sigh of relief.

In my opinion, if anything needs to be done about the behavioral problems of schools, it has to focus on the lack of respect the students give the teachers, not vice-versa.

I completely agree. Someone who respects someone is definitely not perfect. However students have a right to be heard and teachers have a responsibility to listen.



I completely understand that teachers have bad days. This is not a random rant. Kids you would not expect to care have read and highlighted important parts of the student rights and responsibility book. That's just weird! By a peaceful stand I mean talking to the PTA and parents. Not looting the school.

You have a point. The kids trying to be cool are not respectful. A new teacher came to my school this year and he has shown that if you respect students they respect you. You honestly have to see it to believe it. You have the same view I had until this year.

Also could a moderator fix the poll please. I'm not able to edit it. Thanks.

Tried to fix the poll, I'm not really sure why it's doing that. Sorry, did what I could.

We had a couple fo nice teachers but I dont see where respect comes into it.
Especially nowadays when students could stab a teacher in class just because the student thought they were 'dissing them.Why should teachers have any respect for them.
Obviuosly not all students are bad, I supose if the student listens and does their best then respect may be applied.

We had some lady teachers who acted like they were our victorian mothers,we were their kids and we were always wrong and had to be told that as often as possible.It was like they had their own little covern.Not the best way to treat kids in my opinion,I dont give respect to anyone that shouts at me.

I was taught by priests wearing cassocks and I recognise nothing in the above.

I suppose I might be oblivious then. Honestly, I've known teachers to look down on the majority of students, but I've never felt like any of them were looking down on me. I haven't known any teacher I've had to knowingly treat others unfairly either. I've heard stories of teachers I didn't come across though.

Oblivious, lucky, or a combination of the two, I've never had much of a problem.

I have to say that most of my teachers were very respectful, however, as others said there are always those bad apples or just those that you don't get along with.

I had one teacher my Sophomore year in high school. He was about the worst I can remember in high school/junior high school. On tests that were subjective, he basically gave me failing grades while on tests where it was obviously correct or wrong I would get As. He had favorites, was biased and racist and I wouldn't take his crap so I only did fair in his class. Aside from this one teacher, I got along wonderfully with my other teachers and performed above average.

I had a couple of similar situations in college with similar results. If you want to do your best in your classes with such teachers, I wouldn't suggest following my lead. Perhaps be a bit more subdued about the situation and you may fair better than I did at least with your grades.

Einherjar, I have another explanation. If you get (or got) good grades then you really don't have a problem. However that is part of this whole respect thing. If something wrong is done the person with the worst reputation immediately gets blamed. If you did it you don't get blamed unless you speak up. If you say the person with a worse reputation did it, he gets in trouble, immediately. The truth is that the good students take advantage of what the teachers think of them.

Perhaps we need an operational definition of 'respect.' What does 'respect' look like or entail in the teacher-student relationship? What treatment and privileges many (not most) of my students expect as a matter of 'respect' aren't.

Someone who is respectful is someone who listens and appreciates when you have something revelent to say. Doesn't assume that they are right because of their postion. Treats others in the same manner that they would wish to be treated. Cares enough to build a friendship with a student, doesn't judge people based on what others say and most importantly believes you are innocent until proven guilty.

Basically you have to have the qualities of a friend AND a teacher.

I know this will not go over well for most people, but I don't care.
There is a difference in relationship between student and teacher. A teacher is not there to be a friend. A teacher is there to inspire confidence. A teacher is human-like it or not. A teacher has his/her prejudices-like it or not. A teacher will give leway to a good student, or a student who behaves properly over a student who has developed a not favorable reputation or who has chosen to do poorly in academics. Teachers, students and administrators will treat athletes better than non-athletes. A teacher will usually give a student the same respect that the student gives to the teacher.
If a student is complaining because their past is still haunting them, well that's life. Wait till you get out in the big world.
There are many qualities a good teacher should have. Do all of them have all the qualities? Not even close.
Students have the chance to set the respect level as soon as the school year and class period begins. How do you and your classmates act and behave when you walk into a class? How many times must you(this is an all inclusive term) be told to stop talking, sit down, pay attention, etc etc etc? If you do not show a teacher respect, then dont expect them to give you any. Most teachers I know work on the same precept.

Sorry, I posted something in the wrong thread. So I deleted this post.

To respect a student doesn't always pay off...
See my post Is this fair from her? It is about a situation when I as a teacher respect an anarchist student although most teachers think she is a lazy brat, but she doesn't seem to care...

Quote:
I am a junior at a high school in Midwest City, Oklahoma.

Apparently, it's the Midwest's version of "the Bronx." 60% of the students at my school are too busy trying to stay gangster and defending their Bloods and Cripps turf to listen to teachers. I am generalizing, but only from my own experience. I hear students smart mouthing teachers' reasonable requests everyday. If they don't get their way, they throw a fit. It's un-hip to be intelligent, pay attention, actually sit still for 80 minutes and perhaps do your work. I was utterly shocked when I got back into public school (after a two-year home schooling hiatus). I kept thinking to myself, "this is high school? You're kidding me."


i think its more complicated than that i cause i show that i hang with a set of "gangsters" called vice lords/crown mafia and we don't disrespect in school to any teachers or most students but its school u all have a little immatureness in you, come on get real. lol

I could care less about whether or not teachers respect the students. Overall, teachers aren't doing their job of truely educating students and teaching them ethics. Growing up, I never felt much "respect" from teachers, and that helped me do what I needed to do to learn. Teachers are supposed to be in charge of the students, not happy fun friends with them.

It's interesting that there's been very little said here about the purpose of education. Why students are at school.

I've taught for quite a long time (admittedly in Australia, not the US), mostly (by choice) in schools considered "tough" ones, where students & their families are often experiencing considerable hardship in their lives for a variety of reasons. I see my job as giving the students I teach the best opportunity I can in their lives. I want to give them the best possible education, despite the often crippling limitations placed on the schools I've worked in. (Largely financial constraints. These schools are often not financially well off - impoverished, even .... & it's a struggle to provide educational opportunities that even vaguely resemble what's available in wealthier areas & in private schools.)

OK.
Here's what I see as the difficulty posed by the subject of this thread: students often expect their teachers to treat them in exactly the way that their parents (or how their notion of idealized, understanding parents should be) as they would a teacher teaching up to 25 (possibly more?) students at one time. And some students get offended or angry when they're not treated as a special individual with particular, special needs. The thing is, a classroom will never be the same as your home. Teachers have to teach as well as get along well with their students. And this simply can't always be achieved if teachers have "equal rights" with their 25 students at one time. For a teacher to impart their knowledge/skills to a big group of adolescents, the teacher needs to establish some real authority in their classroom. (And I don't mean behaving like a Nazi!) It's often, in my experience, a delicate juggling exercise which takes time to achieve.) And, like it or not, any individual student's expectations of tolerance of rude or anti-social behavior (often with excellent reasons! :wink: ) has to take second place to the teacher educating all of the students in their care. Then that same teacher has to go on to the next class, then the 2, 3, 4 or 5 after that! Of course teachers have their bad days! It is not easy work!

But one thing I can say, for certain: No former student, stuck in a dead-end job, or living with on-going unemployment, will thank their teachers who caved in to his/her tantrums about perceived lack of "fairness" later on in their life. They'll most likely wish that their teachers cared more, made more of an effort to educate them properly so they had more opportunities open to them. The hardest thing, for a teacher, is persisting with what they know they really should be doing for their students & not giving in. It fair easier to be "nice" & accommodating in the short-term. It's the long-term implications that really matter.