Posts by Eric Rogers17

Nancy Cruz3 said:I think when people say "prestigious high schools," they aren't talking about private institutions—they mean the top-tier public schools that are notoriously hard to get into and produce the best results. Think places like Stuyvesant or Bronx Science in New York.

If that's the case, sure, but I still don't see why their parents automatically have to be more educated or cultured than kids going to vocational schools. Right?

copperheron18 said:Look, there is a massive gap between what happened 30 or 40 years ago and what is happening today; any rational person can see that. Back in the day, a professor was highly respected—a doctor was even more so. People used to bring gifts (bribes, let's call them 😁) because those professions were held in the highest esteem. You had the elite tier: the teacher, the doctor, the lawyer. You simply cannot compare the past to the present while my sister-in-law is working now. So much has shifted in the interim—economic instability, social shifts—which has left many people on edge, causing them to lash out at anyone within reach. The current state of society is just different, and while it affects teachers heavily because they deal with such diverse groups, it isn't limited to them.

It is not the same thing to be a teacher at a prestigious prep school where the kids are decent, actually want to learn, pay attention, care about their grades, and come from educated, cultured families. It's an entirely different universe compared to teaching at a three-year vocational school populated mostly by delinquents who lack basic vocabulary, manners, or any sense of decorum.

Middle schools are essentially a volatile mix of both extremes, and no one can dispute that. Being a teacher at a top-tier academy (specifically the one I attended, though many others are similar) is, in my opinion, a fantastic career. But being a teacher at some vocational school (I won't name names to avoid offense) is 🙂

That bolded part? Total nonsense. Honestly, working at private schools is way worse. You’ve got parents dropping insane amounts of cash thinking their kids are absolute geniuses gifted by Bill Gates—even when they’re total idiots. Teachers basically have to look the other way while everyone expects an easy A just because of the tuition. My friends used to work at elite prep schools, and one of them told me about this fancy academy where she literally had to hand-deliver books to the kids in the library. I mean, why would they ever walk to the library themselves, right? And don't give me that line about all these families being "cultured" or "educated." Most of the people funding these private academies are just nouveau riche types or shady business owners who suddenly found money. They couldn't tell you anything about actual culture if their lives depended on it.

Anthony White8 said:maybe yours are playing....

What, you living on Mars or something?🙄
She’s actually got a point. Even if they've never touched a PC or played anything intense, they grew up on stuff like Pokémon or Ben 10. It's all monsters and fighting, yet they act like Ghostbusters is the scariest thing ever.🙄

Kevin Bailey2 said:Laura... honestly, your take on this is the absolute worst part of the whole thing.

I mean, how on earth can a mother look at her own kid and tell them they don't have a family?

At that point, you might as well let a bunch of circus clowns raise them—at least they’d provide some actual warmth.

Why are you poisoning a kid's head with this kind of garbage?

You aren't preparing them for the real world or making them tougher. It's the exact opposite. You're just stalling their emotional growth and doing something totally counterproductive that only hurts them.

Look, I get that things are rough for you, but for God's sake... you've always got to try and find the silver lining. If not for your own sake, then definitely for your kids.

Don't use your child as a punching bag for all your frustration, resentment, and general bitterness.
Take it out on someone who can actually handle it. Don't put a ten-year-old in a position where they're telling their teacher that they "don't have a family" and that's why they can't finish an essay.
Instead of running your mouth to everyone else, just sit down and talk to your kid about what's bothering them and why they're struggling.

Preach.
I don't really get how you can claim the kid has no family. What is a family supposed to be? Some picture in a magazine where everyone looks perfect next to a designer Christmas tree surrounded by gifts? Families come in all shapes and sizes—half the divorces in any US suburb mean kids still have families. And what about adopted kids? From what I can tell, he’s got plenty of people in his life, including you and his stepdad, plus siblings too (not sure where the dad fits in). If the relationships are that messy, work on them instead of telling the kid he lacks a happy home. He's too young to deal with those heavy feelings, and you need to protect him because this stuff leaves scars. He's got plenty of time later in life to learn that the world isn't always sunshine and rainbows.

Jason Cook2 said:I honestly cannot wrap my head around children mocking someone just because they don't have enough cash for ice cream🤷. Even if they did, the solution isn't to hand out money to a little $1.75 (for the record, the teacher didn't give $1.75 for ice cream, she gave $30), but rather to discipline them right then and there—remember, there are 19 of them, so think twice before you mock someone for being broke, and they shouldn't be taken to places like that for a while as punishment.

No one asked the teacher for any money, so I don't think she should even expect a refund, though I am certain she isn't exactly swimming in cash herself.

Honestly, the teacher should've used this as a teaching moment to show the other kids that mocking someone for being broke is totally uncool. She could've asked everyone to chip in a few quarters together. Maybe a miracle would've happened and they'd actually feel good about helping out. Sure, we could talk about how the kids might tease him later once the teacher's gone, or how the boy might feel like he's just getting charity, but there had to be a way to handle it gracefully, and that's on the teacher to figure out.

Seriously, that teacher is a total weirdo. Since when do you lend money to a ten-year-old? You’re basically handing cash to a mom who isn't even there and definitely didn't agree to the loan.
By trying to claw that money back now, she just completely trashed whatever good intentions she supposedly had.