Chicago Student Snapping On Teacher For Not Teaching!

Though the violence in Chicago often makes front page news, the circumstances that potentially influence it are often not discussed; chiefly among them, education — or, in the case of one high school, the lack thereof.

A young student from Chicago’s South Shore, obviously fed up with her music instructor not teaching the class, loudly and aggressively demands that he provide “something [she] didn’t come in with, an education.”

The girl refuses to sit down or leave the class when the teacher tells her to do so; instead she gets even louder, reminding him that teachers went on strike for money and now “[they] don’t want to teach.”

Well I can definitely empathize with her seeing as I went to similar quality of schools with some of the worst teachers and education imaginable. I would say say she could have done it in a more eloquent fashion but at least she cares about getting an education and her future.

I had a few teachers like that. All you had to do was show up and write anything down on the test and you passed. He was there just for the paycheck. I also had a college professor who would go off on a tangent and you never knew where the conversation would end. Usually never the subject he was suppose to be teaching. A woman pointed it out by telling him to teach the subject she's paying for. It wasn't as dramatic as the video but you could cut the tension it was so thick.

It's hard to sit there day after day and not get anything out of it when that's the whole purpose of being there in the first place.

Always gotta be screaming and smacking the hands. Education is no substitute for class.

reply to post by conspiracy88


People get angry, get over it.

reply to post by ShotGunRum

Glad I'm not a teacher!!

Keywords like disrespect, manners and decorum are what came to mind while watching the video....

Peace

who would want to be a teacher to those students ?
SMH

That whole environment is soooo depressing!!

Just think about where each and every one of them is headed! Collectively!!

To the people who are commenting about the manners and such, lending your heart out to the teacher, I'm really disappointed. This is South Shore Chicago...

For a moment I would like you to think about your immediate community. Essentially your neighborhood, homes no more than a mile from your house in any direction. Not an entire city, not your county, but your neighborhood. Imagine if in 1 year time frame 19 people had been MURDERED in your neighborhood. That's just people who are murdered. The crime rates? The assaults, the rapes, the robberies, etc. are not "essentially" a daily occurrence, they point blank ARE a daily occurrence. Some form of violent crime is GOING to happen in your neighborhood today. Everyday you'd fear for your life and safety. Everyday. Then realize you're living in one of the worst parts of Chicago, right in the heart of it, and that the neighborhood around you... they're just as bad. You've got no where to go.

Now imagine you're a high school kid. Since last year, 4 people in your age group 16-18, were murdered. FOUR, in one year of high school just in your neighborhood. Forget all the other violent crime, that's 4 KIDS who were shot dead. Gone.

How would you react if the only resource that could possibly give you the opportunity to escape that economic wasteland was deprived from you? Forget the fact that she was raised in a true ghetto where the parents were almost definitely just as uneducated (because if you're living in South Shore, chances are it's not by choice). People saying things like "She was yelling, no respect or class", seriously? People her age are DYING around her because of the neighborhood she lives in and an education is almost definitely the ONLY way she has a chance of getting out. If she doesn't learn, she doesn't get good grades or good SAT scores, she can't get any grants or scholarships so she will never go beyond that marginal high school education, and she will never escape that type of community. There's nothing but poverty and hardship waiting for her for the rest of her life if she can't get that education, right now.

Maybe she'd show a little more "decorum" if her only opportunity at a better life wasn't being robbed from her. Maybe if she was lucky enough to grow up in a place where the murders don't even get any real media attention because they happen so frequently, and in an environment where a kid isn't forced to act like an adult (which they have no real role model for to begin with) because most parents are as uneducated/poor as they likely will be if they don't get this education in. She should be loud, she should be mad, and the rest of those kids should too.

We live in a country where educational standards are falling, kids seem to be learning less, we spend more building an F-22 than we do building a school, and when a child is angry that a teacher is willfully not teaching the material we say "Where's your manners?" in response? "Where's our education?" How about this, you can teach her all about respect and decorum after she's moved out of that hell hole and doesn't live a ghetto where respect and decorum do nothing but make you look weak and thus a target.

You used a lot of words to formulate an excuse, a valid excuse perhaps but an excuse non-the-less.

ex·cuse (k-skyz)
tr.v. ex·cused, ex·cus·ing, ex·cus·es
1.
a. To explain (a fault or an offense) in the hope of being forgiven or understood

To the people who are commenting about the manners and such, lending your heart out to the teacher, I'm really disappointed.

Why are you disappointed with me? She lacks manner and decorum, it's a fact. She may have her reasons but is that a reason to accept it?

Peace

reply to post by operation mindcrime


Because you see a person who lacks respect, I see a person who lacks an upbringing, and if we don't take heed to the reason why she was acting the way she was, that cycle just continues on.

reply to post by grimreaper797


Is the ability to show respect in direct relation to upbringing?

I wouldn't know, I'm not educated on the subject.

Anyway, you have a valid point. I shouldn't have dismissed the girl argument merely for the way she's trying to bring it across.

Peace

reply to post by operation mindcrime


Actually, I would say yes, the ability to show respect is dependent on your upbringing. If you spent your entire life learning that being respectful and reasonable was a sign of weakness and made you a target, it would affect your ability to show such characteristics. In an area where you can get robbed for looking like a target and that short of "lets all respect each other" attitude makes you look weak, it definitely can make a difference. If you grew up in a household of uneducated people that yell at each other when ever there's a disagreement, when they yell at you for doing something incorrect and insult you, yes that kind of attitude becomes hard to develop.

If there were ever an area that would impact learning traits like respect and decorum, she's living in it.

Oh, brings back memories of teachers rambling on and on with stupid stories when I went to school. I especially hated when they would talk about their credentials. It did fascinate half the kids, and another third of them just acted interested because it seemed appropriate. I was one of the third that did not challenge the system and learned to act. The few that were left that ignored the teacher always got bad grades. I think the school should have an acting class at the first grade level to teach the kids to act better.

reply to post by grimreaper797


Although I am inclined to think that showing respect is an expression of feeling, I agree with your argument that it could make you funerable in certain situations.

It could very well be that she wants to communicate in a polite manner but is acting in a disrespectful manner as a survival technique.

..........

On the other hand, it could very well be that she simply lacks manner and decorum.



Peace

reply to post by operation mindcrime


It could be she's just naturally a rude person in life because she thinks she's better than everyone else, but being somebody who's interacted with a bunch of people from a similar type neighborhood I know better. This mentality arises anywhere that a person is raised in such an environment. Anything less than outright confrontation is weakness, even if the perceived "disrespect" isn't outright. As far as she sees it, that teachers lack of teaching is the result of him thinking he's "better than them" and that's her words. So clearly she feels his lack of teaching is the result of a lack of respect for them by him. That perception automatic triggers a confrontation response because that's what her entire environment promotes. "That guy disrespected you" confront him, beat him down, or kill him. Your child did something wrong? Yell at them, confrontation and anger. Sure nature and nurture both play a part in development, but growing up in that environment, I think it's safe to say nurture is playing a big roll in how she responds.

to bad we didn't get to see the minutes before when she was disrupting the class


I bet Eddie Murphy would have a field day with her as a character

reply to post by ShotGunRum


Now that's what I'm calling a real rant, feelin' empathy though for that whole situation. But guess what, that's what happens when govs cut on education and go off killing people in foreign lands, cause Oil and Opium are seen more important than life.

Originally posted by operation mindcrime
reply to post by ShotGunRum

 

Glad I'm not a teacher!!

Keywords like disrespect, manners and decorum are what came to mind while watching the video....

Peace

Funny, because your post brings to mind key terms like "lack of understanding, lack of compassion, opinions-of-the-privileged" and many more.

Perhaps you've been browsing ATS too long. In the real world, people use "manners and decorum" in a self-regulated way, which is appropriate for the situation. Now, I will agree that manners are becoming sadly more scarce in our society, and should be used more, not less.

However, what ATS' policy of censorship fails to take into account, is that in some situations, manners and civility are actually inappropriate and counterproductive to making one's point in a manner that is impactful. I will elaborate here and say that I feel these situations are far more rare than the ones which require civility and self moderation. Might she have gotten through to that teacher better if she spoke in a calm and civil fashion? Maybe. But maybe she attempted that, and it failed? Then what? Sit and be defeated by a man refusing to do his job?

In this day and age I find it refreshing to see a young person become that impassioned about learning. And absolutely disgusting to think that someone paid to teach... no, better, someone who went on strike to get paid to teach, would be unwilling.

To play devils' advocate to my own opinion, I'm sure it must be very hard for that teacher, and/or others in that system. I'm sure they have to deal with a lot of crap, and a lot of kids who don't want to learn. But highschool is not a democracy. They don't get to sit and not learn because most, or even all but one students don't give a flying fart about learning. If even one kid in a classroom wants to learn, it is that teacher's job to provide education. Otherwise, they should be fired for not doing their job, just as anyone would.

That teacher already has a chance at life. Already has a career (although obviously a pretty bad one. lol) and it is unfair for him to not provide this girl with her own chance to make something of herself. IMO that is perfecly worthy of flying into a minor rage. Seems almost as callous and uncaring as the teens who were mad they were going to miss Justin Beiber on Ellen because of the school shooting coverage. Maybe even more so, as these dumb kids wanting to watch a show will not prevent someone from stepping confidently into a future more bright than welfare in the ghetto.

And on that note, I truly hope you're not a welfare opponent, with that attitude, as it would show an inconsistency of character, IMO.


PS-- Parroting "manners and decorum" really does not display or suggest self-directed thought. I understand we're used to parroting catch-phrases in this culture, but really that is one of the many, many things wrong with it, and IMO counterproductive to original thought.

reply to post by grimreaper797

Oh no, boo hoo, here comes the bad neighborhood excuse again. Everybody feel bad for the childrensss.

Oh, P.S., those aren't children. They're animals.

reply to post by iwilliam


Do you have a job? Are you employed?

in some situations, manners and civility are actually inappropriate and counterproductive to making one's point in a manner that is impactful.

If so, did you ever try this approach with your boss?

Granted, if you are defending some ideal, standing on a soap box and shouting to the world might make an impact.

School is also about learning appropriate social behavior. This young lady is not showing it.

Peace