#16 Merry Christmas or Happy Winter?

Our nation is closely attached to our religion and freedom of practicing whatever faith you may. How free are we if we cannot tell someone Merry Christmas for fear of being sued? One Connecticut school told Fox News it has banned Christmas from it's walls. No longer will its halls be decked with balls of holly. No longer will it refer to the Christmas season as Christmas. The celebrations at Walsh Elementary School in Waterbury, Connecticut simply will not have decorations or Christmas parties in their classrooms. They will, however, continue to sing songs of Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa.

I've been teaching for twelve years now. In total, I've had maybe five students who didn't believe in practicing gift giving or anything remotely Christmas because of their faith. That leaves about 415 other students I've had who do. Those five children's families either chose to pull their children out at the end of the day during the "party" or simply allowed them to participate knowing we weren't preaching God's Word in the classroom. Never did they pull their children out of school for a "Christmas" party.

I think it's sad that such a majority of people I've encountered have become so overly sensitive that they can no longer practice their faith freely. I'm not a preacher, I'm a teacher. The problem seems to be that the teaching profession preaches tolerance so often while obviously being hypocritical in the area of allowing student expression in the classroom. Can we sincerely feel offended by somebody offering us a "Merry Christmas" in good nature? When someone is actually offended by those words, aren't we as teachers to blame for not sincerely promoting freedom of religion and speech and good will?

One thing is for sure, I hope people feel the good will I plan to deliver in the way of many Merry Christmas greetings this December. I will not suppress others from saying Happy Hanukkah to me and will receive it with joy. One thing that would almost be offensive to me is "Happy Winter!" Give me a break. Are we even moving away from Happy Holidays now? Is that too controversial for people? It's madness.

Well, have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

#15 Retention- Teachers Assassinating Youth

What happened to the days of being punished for a lackluster performance? It seems the only retention that occurs these days in the classrooms are people who are pregnant. We definitely have lost our ability to utilize the best motivational tool of all, retention from advancement in grade level. It seems like only yesterday that a student who didn't perform well enough in their academics would be held back a year to enable them later in life. These days, we have so much psychobabble happening when it comes to the impact retaining a student would have on that individual, we don't demand the best. With everyone being their own Dr. Phil or Oprah, it seems we've gotten nowhere with some students. They aren't motivated to succeed. I believe it's directly related to not holding them personally responsible and setting the goals and expectations at a manageable level that any hard working person can achieve.

A colleague of mine was telling me today that Newsweek had once run a story about how the greatest indication of whether or not a person was going to be successful later in life had little to do with their actual letter grades in high school or college. Instead, it was more directly related the the level of coursework and the ability to complete it with any amount of success. Basically, he'd rather his children take advanced placement coursework and earn a C on the report card than take the "dumbed down" class and earn an A. This is what he said the article, written in a time Newsweek wouldn't include psycho-babble nonsense instead. Why can't people realize that we're losing old fashioned value of hard work ethic in this country?

What are we telling students who don't even want to maintain a C average in their "dumbed down" coursework if we push them through to the next grade level? I think we're telling them they're doing enough and smart enough to compete in a society. I think we're lying to them indirectly and ruining their chances as positive influences in today's marketplace. Social norms are going to slap them in the face because teachers and schools can't kick them in the pants. Professional teachers have been told for years that it would just be too much for the child to endure if they were held back a grade level. What is that all about? Why can't a student who doesn't make the grade be held back any longer? Why should Johnny, (I know, Johnny gets a bad name when we refer to him so often for ANYTHING) be advanced to the next grade level if he chooses to clam up and not complete school work? Why should he be told it's ok?

I know why he is told he can move to the 7th grade. It's societal guilt. People think, "Johnny's parents are divorced," or "Johnny is bigger than the rest of his class already," or "Johnny's motivation will fall desperately out of control and he'll drop out at 16." Well, I think that while all those things might be true or possible, we cannot change the rules or set the bar even lower for a student who doesn't perform. If the difference is he completes high school and "earns" his degree because teachers have just let him slide through, how's that going to help him be better off in the marketplace than he would be if he chooses to drop out because he repeated 6th grade? So he hasn't been motivated since 6th grade and he tests at maybe a 7th grade reading level, how is that different than just pushing him through the system and out the door with a degree he didn't earn?

Well, it's up for debate I'm sure. I just am about fed up with our school system that is searching for so many options and spending so much money on technology and motivational activities each and every day and all we need is to retain a few kids who are nothing more than lazy bums. Retain a few of them, and they'll prove to be more influential in our society in the future by helping motivate their peers who don't want to be in their shoes. Maybe it will even motivate them to start using their God given talents that they are squandering in the first place. If they don't change after that, call a paramedic because they are dead in the water. If they are moved through the system, call the police, because teachers have assassinated them.