Am I a stick in the mud?

katiewhompus

Today I was a bit shocked by our school newspaper (high school). There was an article on cyber bullying with a FB sample page with the status "wtf, fml I'm just going to kill myself". Then there was an article about "Four websites you must see" and the four websites were FML.com, Texts from last night, my life is average, and my life is bro. 3 of the 4 sites are blocked on our servers due to language and inappropriate content. I can't imagine parents being happy that the school is encouraging it's students to go to fml.com.

Am I being a total stick in the mud here? I know the teens are all looking a the sites, and I'm fine with that I really am. I just don't think I want the school advertising these sites or endorsing them.

laurenclaire1386

I might be in the minority here, but I have to say, if these sites are mentioned in articles written by students, then I don't think those writers should be censored. Those sites exist and I don't think kids' acknowleding that should be punished. Free speech and all that.

Nebb

While I think most of the submissions to the sites are exagerated, I dont think they are invalid because they are "blogs" to some extent.

NatesGirl16

It's hard to say, for me personally.  I get that the school shouldn't endorse the site, but the student writers are endorsing it, not the school.  I'm skeptical of censorship in all forms because where does it end?  On the other hand, schools have to protect themselves from outdie lawsuits.

It's a tough call, but I wouldn't be bothered by it.  Look at the school newspapers that win awards--they're not really that censored.

ricksang

Meh NBD to me.

[Deleted User]

I don't know what that site is, I had to look it up. It looked mostly like people bitching about random things that happened. In that case, it doesn't seem like a big deal. I do think it would be inappropriate to encourage a site about people who want to kill themselves or are seriously depressed, but that site doesn't seem like one (unless I totally missed something).

Also,  what was the context? Was it a, "look here for more information and resources" kind of thing or "check out all these losers" tbat wouldn only encourage cyber bullying?

katiewhompus

That's true Nates.

It's a paper written by the students and mostly seen by students and teachers.

We do have the awesome helicopter parents though. We're actually getting a new grading system next year that will allow the parents to monitor their kids grades 24/7 because they bitched so much.

NatesGirl16

GradeQuick?  Like the kind that they can monitor online at home?  We have it, but our school's technology sucks and our IT guys is horrible, so it's usually unreliable :P. 

laurenclaire1386

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_am-stick-mud?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:9a64194e-79ad-4e3e-a789-4c881dd7df0ePost:b7e0e76d-9669-4d4a-8178-8443f6adb99a">Re: Am I a stick in the mud?</a>:
[QUOTE]That's true Nates. It's a paper written by the students and mostly seen by students and teachers. We do have the awesome helicopter parents though. <strong>We're actually getting a new grading system next year that will allow the parents to monitor their kids grades 24/7 because they bitched so much.</strong>
Posted by katiewhompus[/QUOTE]
Jaysus. If that had happened to me while I was 12, I found out my parents could see my grade AT ANY TIME EVAR, I would've had a nervous fucking break down. Shoot, that scenario would've given me a nervous breakdown until I was 22 years old. There's just something not right about that concept.

[Deleted User]

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_am-stick-mud?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:17Discussion:9a64194e-79ad-4e3e-a789-4c881dd7df0ePost:b7e0e76d-9669-4d4a-8178-8443f6adb99a">Re: Am I a stick in the mud?</a>:
[QUOTE]That's true Nates. It's a paper written by the students and mostly seen by students and teachers. We do have the awesome helicopter parents though. We're actually getting a new grading system next year that will allow the parents to monitor their kids grades 24/7 because they bitched so much.
Posted by katiewhompus[/QUOTE]

My brother's high school had this (my old school too, but we didn't have the system in place). Parents could log on and see their kid's current grade, test scores, attendance, and even whether or not they turned in their homework. I thought it was great and the school saw a large improvement in grades because now parents knew when their kid was slacking off.

katiewhompus

We have GradeQuick now and are going to Clarity next year. From what I've heard it's going to force some early retirements because teachers won't be able to handle the change. More adaptable teachers love it though.

NatesGirl16

Hmm, I need to check out Clarity!

In our school, online grades haven't changed anything.  The helicopter parents are just as over-involved, the normal parents are still normal, and the lazy parents still don't care. 

I was a lazy student, though, so I'm with LC.  I would have freaked about my parents being able to see my grades all the time, because they were insane about grades.

Chi_Chi

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_am-stick-mud?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:9a64194e-79ad-4e3e-a789-4c881dd7df0ePost:4512e484-022c-42e9-8024-a8d0542cbd6c">Re: Am I a stick in the mud?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Am I a stick in the mud? : My brother's high school had this (my old school too, but we didn't have the system in place). <strong>Parents could log on and see their kid's current grade, test scores, attendance, and even whether or not they turned in their homework.</strong> I thought it was great and the school saw a large improvement in grades because now parents knew when their kid was slacking off.
Posted by Seshat411[/QUOTE]
Holy crap!! I'm not sure how I feel about that. Obviously as a HS student, I would have hated it, but looking forward and putting myself in a mother stance as well as I can, I kinda like it. But I do think that if I had started HS with a resource like this readily available, I would have done alot better than I actually did.

katiewhompus

Lc, I think it's going to freak out the teachers more. They are used to making up random assignments at the end of the grading period to have something for report cards verses planning ahead. Now they are going to have to enter grades regularly, link the grades to a lesson objective/testing objective (aka, no more "write an essay because I have a headache and don't want to teach), and write explanations for every grade under a C.

laurenclaire1386

I don't know. I guess I think even teenagers deserve a certain amount of freedom and respect for that freedom. Otherwise, they'll spend their lives doing things because they'll be in trouble with their parents if they don't.

Simply Fated

I went with
Not so much
Because while I think MLIA is fine, I think FML is inappropriate. I'm all for giving a children an outlet and a chance to speak freely, but there is still a line between is inappropriate and what isn't.

Oh and I think it's pathetic that the parents need some stupid grading system to moniter their kids. Are progress reports not enough anymore? Are parents too lazy to call up the school and ASK for this information?

laurenclaire1386

On the other hand, Katie, after reading your response, you make an excellent point. It also makes teachers far more accountable for their jobs. Which I think is a great thing. I didn't think of it that way at all.

[Deleted User]

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_am-stick-mud?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:17Discussion:9a64194e-79ad-4e3e-a789-4c881dd7df0ePost:51acce8c-1ad1-4610-afae-8d6d06b56308">Re: Am I a stick in the mud?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Am I a stick in the mud? : Holy crap!! I'm not sure how I feel about that. Obviously as a HS student, I would have hated it, but looking forward and putting myself in a mother stance as well as I can, I kinda like it. But I do think that if I had started HS with a resource like this readily available, I would have done alot better than I actually did.
Posted by Chi_Chi[/QUOTE]

Honestly, I don't see a problem with it. As a student I probably would have been all up in arms over it, but coming from an outsider's viewpoint I see it as something designed to benefit the school and its students. Why shouldn't parents get to see how their kids are doing, or know when they aren't doing their work?

Two girls in my brother's classes constantly skipped and were bitching about getting caught with the new system and having to go to school now. Sorry, but I don't feel sorry for them or feel like their rights were violated (their words, apparently) because now they actually have to go to class.

katiewhompus

Simply, I think the problem is too many parents are calling for 1 on 1 time and the teachers can't keep up.

[Deleted User]

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_am-stick-mud?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:17Discussion:9a64194e-79ad-4e3e-a789-4c881dd7df0ePost:86219c40-e5a3-4240-9cdd-0ee2dbe2a0e2">Re: Am I a stick in the mud?</a>:
[QUOTE]Oh and I think it's pathetic that the parents need some stupid grading system to moniter their kids. Are progress reports not enough anymore? Are parents too lazy to call up the school and ASK for this information?
Posted by Simply Fated[/QUOTE]

If my mother had to handle calls for all her students' parents, she would never have any free time. She would constantly be on the phone, answering emails, or using all her personal time after school in conferences. Plus, it's not like you can call the school any time and ask to speak with the teacher right at that moment to check up on your kid.

Chi_Chi

I completely agree, Sesh. I know alot of people that I went to school with that would have lost their shiit over it because mom and dad would see how much they WEREN'T doing.

NatesGirl16

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_am-stick-mud?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:9a64194e-79ad-4e3e-a789-4c881dd7df0ePost:8a22749d-56f3-4be6-b078-c265112dedaf">Re: Am I a stick in the mud?</a>:
[QUOTE]Lc, I think it's going to freak out the teachers more. They are used to making up random assignments at the end of the grading period to have something for report cards verses planning ahead. Now they are going to have to enter grades regularly, link the grades to a lesson objective/testing objective (aka, no more "write an essay because I have a headache and don't want to teach), and write explanations for every grade under a C.
Posted by katiewhompus[/QUOTE]
I'm sorry, but how does your school function?  It seems like no one knows how to do their jobs there, from what you describe.  Eek for those kids!

katiewhompus

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_am-stick-mud?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:17Discussion:9a64194e-79ad-4e3e-a789-4c881dd7df0ePost:04b456c0-f441-4d85-afc9-b0bfbab2242f">Re: Am I a stick in the mud?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Am I a stick in the mud? : If my mother had to handle calls for all her students' parents, she would never have any free time. She would constantly be on the phone, answering emails, or using all her personal time after school in conferences. Plus, it's not like you can call the school any time and ask to speak with the teacher right at that moment to check up on your kid.
Posted by Seshat411[/QUOTE]

Yep yep. Our teachers have (on average) 150 students each. Craaaaazy.

NatesGirl16

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_am-stick-mud?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:9a64194e-79ad-4e3e-a789-4c881dd7df0ePost:7878d099-393b-4340-9eb6-ae50fcaa337c">Re: Am I a stick in the mud?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Am I a stick in the mud? : Yep yep. Our teachers have (on average) 150 students each. Craaaaazy.
Posted by katiewhompus[/QUOTE]
So do I.  I never give random assignments at the end of the MP or just give out essays because I don't feel like teaching.  WTF is that? 

katiewhompus

I ask the same thing Nates...oh yes I do.

No, in our defense I deal with the stupid teachers which probably (hopefully) make up a very small percentage of the staff.

katiewhompus

I think part of the problem is that a lot of our teachers went to these schools, then came back and taught there so they have no idea what teachers go through in the rest of the country. I mean, I'm sure every school out there has a Promethean board (interactive white board) in every classroom, or 2 computers in every room with 5 computers labs (30 computers) for their use right?

Simply Fated

I'm perfectly ok with lesson plans that involve less technology. It evens the playing field for students who don't have access to some technology, especially in lower socio-economic school districts.

NatesGirl16

But of course, KW!  Right next to the pile of ceiling tiles that keep falling down :P.  Actually, we do have Mimeo (ghetto and fake whiteboard, but still pretty cool), but we're limited in other stuff.

What's sad is that I work in one of the most affluent counties in the state. 

I am planning on making German chocolate cake tomorrow. 

katiewhompus

Oh yum. Tomorrow I'm throwing a roast, potatoes, carrots, onions etc into the slow cooker

Ok, bedtime. I will talk to you ladies tomorrow!

NatesGirl16

Night!