Chronicles of Marnia

Today's post is both a PSA and a rant.  In the words of my blog-rockstar friend Katdish, sorry/you're welcome.

First, the PSA.  I find it my duty to share funny blogs when I find them.  Here are my two recent finds (although they've likely been around forever)

This One  (yeah, I left the name off...this is a G rated blog) and Parents Shouldn't Text.  Now this may be a G rated blog, but the two I just listed...aren't.  But OMGoogle, they are stinkin' hilarious.  They are also the reason I haven't drank the iPhone Kool-Aid yet and will stick it out with my Blackberry thankyouverymuch.

And now...the rant.

So did you see the news today about the public school teacher who blogged about her students?  She didn't name names, but her comments on her (personal) blog have set off a firestorm.  I don't condone name calling.  It doesn't generally produce any change in behavior or attitude.  But this isn't a rant about the teacher busting on her students in cyber-world.  It's about the way the administrators are flipping out and how the students have developed a holier-than-thou attitude.

I don't know about the rest of you educators out there, but I am seeing an alarming trend of behavior with our younger generations.  They aren't all like that, so hear me on that.  But some students I deal with day in and day out sometimes exhibit some highly unrealistic expectations of how they should be treated by others around them (read: entitled).  And they don't always respond well to being told "no".  Maybe the teacher felt that as well and "lost it" as she blogged?  Could be.

And I don't know about the rest of you parent's out there, but I'm not raising my daughters to assume they have the God-given right to never be offended.  I console them when people treat them harshly or hurt their feelings, and when it's appropriate, I intervene.  However, this world is full of jerks.  To assume it isn't, is naive.  To teach my daughters they are allowed to go through life without being offended, is simply setting them up for failure.

So here is where those two points converge...for me, at least. 

--The administrators should come down on the teacher if she violated school or district policies.  However, if the reason behind her suspension is because she actually called a spade a spade, well...I take issue with that.  In an ideal world, the teacher would have kept her rants to an appropriate audience (spouse, friends, therapist).  Writing out your feelings is a superb idea.  Hitting "publish"...not so much.  But was she wrong in being critical of students who have a history of rudeness, laziness and disrespect in her classroom?

--According to one article I read, some students created a Facebook page called "I'm a victim of Ms. Munroe".  And they rant about her. Ironic much?  They are upset she called them out for being rude, lazy and disrespectful.  And if they weren't those things, by all means, be irritated at being called something you're not, but then get over it since you know it's not true.  But if they are true, is it truly okay to throw fits and demand she not say and think such things about you?  Administrators and parents:  are we doing these kids any good when we teach them that people who speak out against them, will be punished (they are threatening to fire her).  Is that the kind of lesson we want to give kids? Maybe we've already taught them that and that's why some youth I see and Ms. Munroe sees, behave as they do?  Maybe?  Thoughts?

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