Lack of Discipline / Respect in Public Schools?

I recently taught elementary in Texas in two different cities - the children's behavior in one city was very different than the other city. Biggest difference between the two was the ethnicities and the parent's involvement. Both places had low socio-economic students. Both schools expected the highest level of respect from their students.

I'm so sorry to hear that you are dealing with this. I don't think it is all public schools. I think it has to do with the values that parents teach at home. The very misbehaved children in one place I taught had parents who did not even respect the teacher. Once, a student told his teacher "My mamma said I ain't got to listen to you cause you white." How can you teach someone like that??

Often, the great teachers can gain respect of their classroom, but it is not easy when children come to school with no value in their education. And to find a teacher that can do that with their whole classroom is hard enough. There are few and far between.

I don't think this issue is everywhere. It is not in the schools where my daughter has been and is currently enrolled. SHe has always been in public school. The schools here are excellent and most are rated Exemplary.

Our high school is very strict, the principal and staff are very hands on and if someone does get out of line, it is dealt with immediately.

Since middle school, I have noticed a difference in the children in the regular classes (regs), vs the honors/AP classes. The kids in the honors/AP classes care about their work, how they are perceived by teachers and staff and thrive on doing well and anticipating college. THe "regs" are the ones who don't have as much parental involvement or the drive to excel.

We have 3 Sr high schools with about 4000 per campus and I think 7 high schools (9th and 10th) with about 2000/campus. The Sr. High school my daughter will attend is the only one with the IB program and a well respected school.

I believe a lot of it has to do with your area, keep in mind that private schools pick and choose students, and Homeschooled students can be very well educated but I can see where it would be a shock to go from homeschool to public or private school. Not only the social aspects of it but the diversity of the students and different learning experiences and techniques.

Best wishes.

It is definitely where you live. We have none of that at my kid's school-or at any other suburban school around us. That is why I moved to the suburbs. The parents care...therefore the kids care...and therefore the teachers care.

I don't see that at all in my area-elementary school anyway. Respect is a BIG deal in our public school.
My niece was bullied beyond belief at a private Christian school here.

IMO there are a lot of factors that affect the school dynamics. If a lot of the kids come from homes where respectful behavior was not modeled or encouraged, a lot of the kids will likely be acting out at school, and the problem gets magnified as the kids feed off each others' behavior. And if you add something like large class sizes and overextended/exhausted teachers, the problem gets magnified some more. But if you have a school where a lot of the kids come from homes where respectful behavior is taught and modeled, and where parents are constructively involved at the school (i.e.: helping in the classroom but not trying to insist on their own agendas) and in reinforcing the kids' learning at home, you can have a very positive school environment even in a public school. And when the teachers aren't having to divert so much energy to disciplinary issues, there's more time and energy for learning and an overall more positive environment.

I volunteer at two different schools - the suburban one where my kids are, and an urban one down the street from our church. The suburban kids are almost all from families whose parents completed college and expect that their children will go to college, and for the most part they seem to understand that they need to pay attention to their teachers. At the urban school, there's a wider mix of family situations and unfortunately many of the kids at this school aren't getting as much parental guidance as they need (maybe because both their parents have to work, or they come from single-parent families, etc.) and many of them act out in class. And since this school doesn't have the same resources as the suburban one (which has funded a lot of its programs - small class sizes, art, music, classroom aides, etc. - through substantial parent donations to a school-wide and a city-wide nonprofit educational fund), the school can't provide much positive support to develop/encourage better behavior in the kids who act out so the underlying causes of the misbehavior aren't addressed.

It must be your school. We do not have this problem.

75 - 85%? I really am sorry, but I cannot imagine.. If you are expecting ALL students to be quiet little soldiers, that is not real life. There are kids that are boisterous, excited, and loud .. it may look to you like a bunch of wild animals or even sound inappropriate to you, but misbehavior on that level, sounds odd.. Some of the kids with piercing and inappropriate language may be in good standing with National Honor society or be the Class President.. I have seen and been friends of people that came into our daughters school and spoke about how awful it was, but it was based on their prejudices..So many "different" types of students.

I was PTA president at the middle school level and noticed the frustration of the administration trying to deal with the few kids that seemed to cause all of the trouble,.

In a school with about 700 kids, there was a core 15 kids that took up all of the time of the assit. Principals.. these kids caused 90%+ of the problems. It was ridiculous.. But because it is a public school, they have to b accept every child that comes through the door regardless of the childs emotional, academic or behavioral behaviors.. I would say it is about the same at the high school level.

Remember in Private schools they can pick and choose. If a student does not meet the requirements, they can be invited to leave or not return.

I find it interesting that our daughter did great in the public schools.. She was an excellent student, ended up being a National Merit Scholar. So these were not distractions for her..

I think that it's like that in most schools, it's just that a lot of kids don't tell their parents about it. My daughter's school is a pretty good school but she still comes home telling me stories about things kids did and I can't believe it. We are starting to homeschool our children next year.

It is everywhere. And exactly why my kids are (I think) changing schools in the next week or so. Parent involvement makes ALL the difference. And, it seems that a lot of kids today are not getting the lesson on how to respect anyone or anything.

It is everywhere. More parental involvement helps but typically the ones that really need it still don't get it.