i for one will be glad when they change this topic,, its getting old,,,

I am amazed and appalled by the comments I have read regarding schools, teachers, and students. As a student in a military family let me say that we/you are lucky in many ways to have small town schools. As to student behavior....that is the parents responsibility to teach respect and manners. It starts at home! The teachers do not get paid enough to deal with some of the behavioral problems that they do. Many teachers go above and beyond. When elementary kids have been told by their parents they will sue the school and are allowed to speak/act badly without the child worrying about consequences....now thats sad. I wonder how much patience you would have.

I also believe that goes for the learning. Don't expect your kids to wait until they go to school to learn. Each parent should be working with their own children before they go until they graduate. The teachers may get paid for their job, but the buck doesn't stop there, so to speak. They have your children very few hours compared to how much you have them. As for the school itself, I know it seems like it cost more each year..... unfortunately so does everything else. If more people worked with the schools instead of against them....umm, maybe things would get better, after all they are OUR future

Let me leave you with these thoughts.....The ones who complain.....do you read to your children and work with them daily? Are you teaching your children manners and respect? What are your children seeing in you.(they are mirrors when it comes to our actions and words) Do you complain about other professionals and their salary or only teachers.(they do have the time/expense of collage to earn that pay) What do you do for free to help others/the community? How are you spending your family time?

Next time you have some spare time read the poem....Children learn what they live or listen to the county song about children....Let them be little. All children need more love, courage, cuddling, self-esteem, and our TIME. (ALL ages)

Are you in a hurry to raise your children or are you willing to make them your reason for living?

Linton Mom,

Not doing a lot of complaining, I love my job, just want some of those out there who think teachers only work 10 months a year and 7 hours a day to understand that is not true for most of us. Like any profession there are teachers who don't do their job like they should. However, most of us do.

FYI I teach in a large metropolitan school district, not Bloomfield. I don't live in Bloomfield anymore, but this is still my log on for comments.

Exlintonresident, like I said, you think it is easy strap on your boots and come on in! I don't think I said "hard" hours, I believe what I said was that I work more than my contract states, which is 8:30-3:30. Also, I do keep God in school, I pray every day for my school, my students and for me to be the teacher they need me to be, we have a "moment" of silence every day and we still say the pledge.

As for separation of church and state, we do that, but God is there in my every action and with me as I am being a role model to them.

I am merely trying to give a little glimpse into what goes into teaching, and obviously that cannot be done in writing a short blurb. I encourage you to go into your school and see what your teachers do, spend the day. You are welcome to come and spend the day with me at my school.

Rachel Crabb

I am a teacher and single mother who works very hard and I am by no means over paid, and if you think I am, strap on your boots and come on in! Let me just give you a little glimpse into what my day is like:

I am at school by 8:00, it doesn't start until 9:00. I teach third graders, to be better readers, writers and mathematicians. All while complying to the state standards for third grade. For those of you who want to know what we "do" with our off time, take a trip to the department of education website and look at the state standards K-12. School is out at 3:20, and I RARELY leave before 5:00 pm. I take time at home about an hour each night and two to three hours on the weekend, to grade what some of you say I am not teaching, or that I "save" for you to teach your own children!

I spend my entire summer working for EXTRA money to help pay my daycare expenses for when I am doing my REAL job! I also spend my summer looking for new and exciting ideas to implement into my classroom. I teach summer school for 2 weeks. I go into the classroom 2 weeks before school starts and stay 2 weeks after. I also, complete my professional development in that time, which is 6 credit hours every 5 years. I am currently trying to obtain my masters degree to be a better teacher, I spent the last three years in classes to get a special education license to be a better teacher to all students and the next two weeks I have to make sub plans so that I can attend professional development conferences on how to differentiate my instruction for all children.

For all that ladies and gentlemen I say I and my fellow colleagues are grossly underpaid.

PS if there are any spelling errors in this please forgive me, I am after all a human being and I do make mistakes.

The comment exlintonresidents made really bothers me. I am a teacher and feel that I work very hard at my job. I am sure it is like all jobs there are lazy people and there are people who take their job serious.

It's easy to see where all the money that is supposed to be to teach kids is going. Just look at what the top dogs that runs the schools are being paid. About 50 times more now than when I went to school in the 60's

Mom7 you hit the nail on the head. I personally know one of those children. They attend class everyday, homework is always done on time and checked by parents and passes all classes with C's and B's. Basically an average student with perfect attendance. Thanks to ISTEP+ this child will not be getting a diploma. The parents have continually fought to change the graduation requirements to no avail. A waiver was asked but the HS principal said no waiver has ever been granted to a student at his school. If I were those parents I would hire the best darn lawyer this side of the Mississippi and sue the pants off every one of those so called "educators". Talk about crushing a child's self-esteem!!! It's sickening.

www.2mminutes.com

Talk about misspellings - checkout the schools daily announcements and start counting.

The schools are ridiculous out here. There is no longer any opportunity for FUN in school, leading the students to HATE going. The ISTEP Curicculum is ALL that is taught, and the balance is all wrong....the schools with the LOWER ISTEP scores are the ones that obviously need the resources. The result is a paper filled classroom with no more of the "hands on" experiences that really get students fired up.

The schools continue to degrade students and the teachers have become extremely disrespectful. I wonder where their passion went...my experience has been one of utter disdain for anything other than a QUIET, INTROVERTED child who has no personality or self esteem.

The punishments rarely fit the crime - I'm amazed at the amount of detentions, suspensions, expulsions these days. Children haven't changed that much since I was one....in my day if you flipped your eyelids inside out and grossed out a classmate or teacher you got sent to the hall, these days you get sent to detention.

And the teachers wonder why the students hate them, the parents wonder why their children hate school and the public wonders where this generation of children are headed because they are "always in trouble"

I'm here to tell you, the kids aren't "always in trouble" it's the school over reacting in most cases and UNDER REACTING in others. It's a mixed message that confuses the children.

I wish I could homeschool, but alas, I have to work for the luxury of paying an ungodly amount of school fees and book fees for the opportunity to watch the public school system in Greene County kill my child's spirit and teach the children the ISTEP curriculum and nothing else.

Think about it - read up on it - talk to other parents in the school system...watch children play, they aren't any different it's the school's opinion of them since "No Child Left Behind" and all the $money$ that comes with it.

..as far as paying teachers what they are worth? Personally I think they are WAY overpaid! Anyone see a teacher's paycheck lately? They certainly aren't earning it these days.

You asked for my opinion. There you have it.