Nosy exam question asks 3rd graders to reveal a "secret". Parents outraged.

Originally posted by Jean Paul Zodeaux
Maybe parents should start telling their children that their 3rd grade teacher is retarded but that it is a secret. Or, maybe parents should start homeschooling their children and telling them it is because their teachers are retarded and it is no secret.

Or maybe parents should actually go to parent/teacher conferences and develop a relationship with the teachers and the school and they could all work together for the good of the children instead of trying to undermine one another

reply to post by PurpleChiten


You keep making the "it is always the few who make it bad for everyone else" argument, but you are quite selective in how you do it. Here is a statistic that should convince you that maybe all teachers should be monitored constantly when around children:

Between 1% and 5% of teachers sexually abuse or harass students.

As you like to say, it is always the few who make it bad for everyone else. No teacher should ever, under your paradigm, be trusted with our children.

reply to post by PurpleChiten


I think, as far as most kids are concerned, there is no difference between "private family matters" and "secrets". In both cases, they are things they are not supposed to talk about with others.

Also, not every secret has to involve criminal activity; imagine if one of those kids revealed that their parents are in the witness protection program. That is a very important secret that every member of a family would have to keep in order to protect their lives. What if one of the parents was an undercover cop or a secret member of an intelligence organization? Their cover could be blown, also putting the whole family in danger.

Just because families have secrets, it doesn't mean the are breaking the law.

Originally posted by Jean Paul Zodeaux
reply to post by PurpleChiten

 

You keep making the "it is always the few who make it bad for everyone else" argument, but you are quite selective in how you do it. Here is a statistic that should convince you that maybe all teachers should be monitored constantly when around children:

Between 1% and 5% of teachers sexually abuse or harass students.

As you like to say, it is always the few who make it bad for everyone else. No teacher should ever, under your paradigm, be trusted with our children.

Actually, you just verified what I said. 95% are good, it's that other 5% that's screwed up. Your statistics agree with my statement

Originally posted by FortAnthem
reply to post by PurpleChiten

 

I think, as far as most kids are concerned, there is no difference between "private family matters" and "secrets". In both cases, they are things they are not supposed to talk about with others.

Also, not every secret has to involve criminal activity; imagine if one of those kids revealed that their parents are in the witness protection program. That is a very important secret that every member of a family would have to keep in order to protect their lives. What if one of the parents was an undercover cop or a secret member of an intelligence organization? Their cover could be blown, also putting the whole family in danger.

Just because families have secrets, it doesn't mean the are breaking the law.

Very good point. Those would most likely be classified as "secrets" as opposed to private family matters I guess. Hadn't thought about it from that angle.

That's what happens when you send your kids to government reeducation camps. They don't teach kids how to think they teach them what to think.

How about the poor child who is molested nightly and if terrified to tell anyone or maybe sees nothing wrong with it and was told to keep a secret?. This good.

reply to post by PurpleChiten


They also agree with your other statement of the few always making it bad for the rest, and I would hope in all honesty you concede and agree that, under your paradigm, all teachers should be monitored constantly, and probably should be registered as sex offenders just to make sure.

I'm just saying, it's always the few who make it bad for everyone else.

reply to post by FortAnthem
I asked my son (3rd grade) what his secret was.

He stated, "I farted and blamed it on Cody. Do I have to say I'm sorry now?"


I agree, OP. This type of intrusive "prying" is just another reason why I'm seriously considering homeschool for my youngest.

reply to post by beezzer

Oh the innocence of youth and what they consider a big secret in their world. That kind of nonsense supplies the light moments to make being a parent easier through the bad ones.

I still very much encourage developing a good parent/teacher relationship. It makes a world of difference. If the teacher knows you and talks to you on a regular basis and the child comes in and says something totally off the wall, the teacher is more likely to call you and talk to you about it and you both get to the bottom of the issue quickly and without all the drama and craziness. If it's a kid whose parent never comes in, never answers the phone, never has contact with the school, then the teacher is going to try to find out why for the good of the kid. That's the way it works.
I know that many people HATE the "it takes a village" concept either due to not actually reading the full text and understanding the concepts behind it or because they're from the opposite political side of the person who said it, but it really does take a "village", a group of people who communicate and know one another. Everybody knows that kids love to play the mom vs dad game if mom and dad aren't a unified front. They do the exact same thing at school if they know their parents and teachers never talk to one another. Communicate early and often and your child will benefit from it. You'll have a much better experience, you'll know who to trust and who not to trust, you'll know exactly what kind of education they are getting, you'll have more of a say in school policies and what goes on there and you'll help your child learn to communicate better as well. You'll also be more at ease and have less stress in your own life as well as have a "lifeline" for when issues arise and the teacher will also have a "lifeline" and problems can be taken care of quickly and easily instead of going through a lot of drama that should never exist.

I got a secret but im not telling anyone!

That is what a secret is.


Parents should be outraged.

reply to post by PurpleChiten


Nope. Parents aren't public employees, and it cannot work that way. I get that public employees would like that, but here's the deal, if you were smart you would just drop the bogus "always the few who make it bad for everyone else" angle and recognize that Parents have certain rights and teachers have no business prying into the private lives of families what-so-ever. Conversely, as public teachers dealing with Parents children, they do not have the right to privacy regarding that profession, and if teachers don't like that then maybe they should join the private sector and go into business for themselves.

If teachers cannot respect the natural and unalienable rights of the Parents of children they teach, then I think Parents should take a hard look at those teachers and begin asking hard questions as to why those people are teachers and just exactly what they are up to.

Teachers should mind their own business, which is teaching, and they should worry more about the woeful state of teaching in this nation, and let Parents worry about Parenting.

reply to post by PurpleChiten


Out of respect to your prudence, I will do the same.

reply to post by PurpleChiten

reply to post by FortAnthem


what if this question potential stops child molestation of abuse?Is it so bad then?

when people ask questions... is it only the Anti-Christ trying to steal you child souls and take you guns?

reply to post by FortAnthem


That's an inappropriate thing to ask any child. At 8 they should be learning the difference between peer groups not feeling ashamed by the school. Asking a child to tell you a secret is teaching a child not to keep one.

If Uncle Perv is diddling little Nancy, fine. There have been and will continue to be those who stand guard for little people. I cannot imagine this exercise being used in an educational manner for children.

I taught my kids that school circriculum is simply a list of things you should know before graduating. I also introduced them to things that I know. And where to find other stuff that we could do so we'd all learn. Learning was the point of school, right?

I'd demand the test back. Immediately. None-ya f***ing business!