It's culture, not just class size

In my 20 years of teaching, I find Anon's comments to be correct only part of the time. Yes students may be engaged in your classroom, but a handful can turn the tide to disengagement if you are not careful. I'm sure you stay on top of your students at all times, and that helps. I have found that removing one, two, or even three miscreants can make for a wonderful class, but if you have 5 to 10 miscreants, then the whole class culture turns sour.

dkzody @ 9:38 AM PDT, Jun 24, 2008

It's all about the parents. The Apple does not fall far from the tree... which is why the single most important impact a parent has on the child is where they live: by virtue of where they live, a parent determines who the child will view as his/her peers. The parent chooses the peer group... private schools are the answer for parents who cannot afford to live in the districts with the best peer groups.

Phil @ 1:59 PM PDT, Jun 23, 2008

As I prepare to enter the teaching profession, this article resonates with me. One wise professor laid it out to the class the first night. "You will have very few problems with classroom management if you take the time to build your classroom culture." How do you do that? By taking the time to get to know each one of them and letting them get to know you and each other. I take this very seriously and believe that doing this will make or break me as a teacher.

Lisa Moore @ 12:14 PM PDT, Jun 23, 2008

Miss Felcher: I teach a "regular" English class. When students are in my room, they are engaged. They say it's their favorite class, because I greet them with a smile -- and then deliver challenging standards-based lessons. When they go into the science class in the small learning community, these students are disinterested and disengaged. What's the difference? The teacher. When I cover special ed classes, the students are engaged, too. Don't blame the kids until you have examined your own practices -- and biases.

Anon @ 7:56 PM PDT, Jun 21, 2008

This article explains everything that people mistakenly believe is wrong with the LAUSD (and every other large city school district). I once heard a community college teacher refer to "attitudinal stupidity," and I believe that he was referring to those of us who had the mental capacity required to complete the task and yet made the choice to remain stupid (by not applying ourselves to the task at hand). Brilliant and well written article!

Tony Valle @ 1:40 PM PDT, Jun 20, 2008

I think that Miss Felcher brings up a valuable point. When the non-honors class is impossibly large it is difficult to assist the children individually, and the school system becomes more of a factory that mass-produces mediocrity. As a student in the LAUSD system I see this problem everyday. Despite having taken mostly honors classes this past year, I found myself in a non-honors math class. The class was so large that one miscreant could amass an entire revolt and the French Revolution would soon ensue. I think that this issue deserves immediate attention.

Joe Faragher @ 1:06 PM PDT, Jun 20, 2008

Excellent article! I was a substitute teacher for many years and what I tell others is that a school is a heaven or hell NOT due to $$$ but due to the ATTITUDE of the students! It is just the truth and those who constantly want to blame racism for the failures of the children and parents are wrong. You will never get ahead with that attitude. The truth is...there are children who are curious, disciplined, respectful towards education and those that are not. Teachers CANNOT be blamed for the students who are lazy, have no intellectual curiousity, do not respect education nor value peace and respectfulness.

Soliel @ 12:03 PM PDT, Jun 20, 2008

I think Ms. Felcher's comments are brilliant and illuminating.

Peter Maduro @ 8:44 AM PDT, Jun 20, 2008

Good argument until you threw that bit about racism in, as you argue before that bit of stupidity its not racism its culture. Our schools won't be fixed until parents care about their children. If your regular students were as driven as your honor students they would preform at the same level. Unfortunately that drive can't come from you but needs to be instilled in children at a young age by parents. But of course you can't tell anyone they are doing a bad job raising their kids, so I guess I can just sit back and enjoy our nations down slide into mediocrity because every kid is a winner just for trying!

Rep. Mike @ 8:41 AM PDT, Jun 20, 2008