My policy is to post all comments from readers provided that they are not abusive, illegal, fattening or redundant. I do have one other constraint: I am not comfortable in posting comments which refer to specific teachers, children, parents or schools by name or in a way that makes it easy for the general public to identify any of them.
You may have noticed that my criticism about education has largely been about ineffective systems which either cheat our children of reasonable educational attainment or load their teachers with demands that make them less effective in teaching our children. I do try to temper my annoyance with leaders in education who buy into these systems because they are more interested in their careers than the education of children.
After twenty years in the system I still believe that almost all teachers have the interests of their students at heart and do their best to act in those interests. I might disagree with their means but I rarely quarrel with their sincerity. Some teachers are so tired either because they are overwhelmed by their teaching situation or an extra-curricular problem or illness, that they must reduce their efforts in the classroom if they are to survive. Few teachers last long in the classroom if they suffer from any serious health problem.
It is tempting sometimes to pillory a teacher who has got up your nose in some way, especially if your child is involved. Before you throw the first stone, however, ask yourself what stories might be put about if 30 pairs of young eyes watched you at work for six hours a day, every day. Then imagine the mouths taking home stories about what they had seen and heard you do during the six hours. Ask yourself if you have ever seen a child slant a story to get out of trouble, to show herself in a good light, to illustrate her personal biases or just for the excitement of making it bigger than it is when she shares it with her friends.
Then pillory the teacher if you can.
Schools can be very small communities so naming a school can make it very easy to identify the people involved. Since critical comments often involve events which happen quickly in response to an incident, I am reluctant to embarrass people who are doing the best they can with what they know at the time. When it involves policy, the policy is often dictated by the board or agreed upon by the school council. It is never as simple as it sounds.
All this to say, I will not publish comments that name schools, children, their teachers or parents. School boards and their policies are fair game; they have consultants and lawyers and all sorts of people to help them get things right; when they don’t, it is usually not for lack of knowing what the best choice is: it is usually because the people who are ultimately accountable, the elected trustees, do not have the backbone to make that choice. Weak spines are contagious and will eventually infect all the administration in a board.
Teachers Outside the Box 