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I understand the concerns raised. On the other hand, I also realize that our society has emerged into a larger, impersonal, complex world. Use to be, the teacher knew where you lived, knew your parents and talked them regularly, and school was woven into the fabric of your life. Maybe this is an attempt to bring some personalization back.
I know we go out of our way to establish a relationship with my son's teacher, and make sure he knows that what he does will be known. We want him to think, if I do that, my mom and dad will know about it, and then I will be in trouble!!!
Hard to find that fine line between personalization and invasion.
Shelly
Last edited by shellytc; 09-03-2007 at 08:14 AM..
Reason: grammer and spelling : )
I wonder what will happen when a teacher or administrator demands entry into a house and ends up a victim of violent crime. Teachers and administrators are not law enforcement agents and by demanding or requiring entry into private property to inspect living conditions, a whole host of problems ensues. That teacher or administrator has no idea what they are walking into. The family is being forced to give up constitutional rights to illegal search and seizure and the teacher is placing themselves at a huge risk for liability and/or violence.
Many will say that my opinion is out there, but in my junior high classroom I have girls who prostitute themselves for crack, sibilings on trial for murder, parents who have been murdered, parents who are in prison, drug dealers in the allies around the school, students threatening suicide, students begging not to get detention at the risk of receiving another broken arm. There is absolustely no way in the world I would demand entry into the houses of some of these families - I value my life and the safety of my family.
Also, if a teacher comes in, how is the situation controlled? If I am the administrator demanding entry into a student's house to inspect the room, how do I know that the family won't say that I stole something? How do I know that I won't end up in a sexual harrasement case because the female student claims I stole her panties or God knows what else . . .?
As a parent, a private citizen, and a home owner, I have the same protection against some school official that I do against law enforcement. Mainly they cannot come into my home without a warrant except for very few strict cirrcumstances. If I have to give up my constitutional rights for my kids to go to school, I guess it's time to move to Wyoming and home school.
Location: My heart is in Wyoming, my body is soon to follow.....
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I'm not sure what you find creepy about it. These people are spending almost 30 hours a week with our children, I'd like to know them as well as possible. I believe it would benefit the teachers to see the conditions a child lives in, to know who needs more attention and such.
I wouldn't call it creepy. I think it's more like, very unwise. Some children are ashamed of their homes and parents. To know that a teacher was going to come and see how they had to live would be cruel.
The critical viewpoint of a unmarried neatnik, would be vastly different from the mother with four little ones still at home.
On a few other message boards I patronize, people have been writing in telling about how their districts are instituting new programs of community outreach in which teachers pay visits to the homes of their elementary-school students, take pictures to be displayed in the classroom, and take notice of the house, family situation, and other conditions of the home.
Anyone else creeped out by this? Does your school do it?
Not creeped out.. just wouldn't let them in my home.
I don't find it creepy, but as a teacher I wouldn't want to be put into that situation by my school district. By the way, I live in a small rural community in TN and it isn't happening here.
Wow. I've never heard of this in any of the schools I've taught at. The only people from school who made home visits were the social worker who was working w/some of our special needs kids or the SRO/Truant Officer type folks who needed to pay the visit for legal or child concern reasons. I feel it is totally unnecessary for teachers to visit homes (unless invited for a particular purpose). I do know some teachers who display a photo brought from home of the kids in their classrooms on a "getting to know you" type bulletin board, etc., and feel that is appropriate. In today's world we can never be too careful, though. Things aren't the way they were when we were kids!
Wow. I've never heard of this in any of the schools I've taught at. The only people from school who made home visits were the social worker who was working w/some of our special needs kids or the SRO/Truant Officer type folks who needed to pay the visit for legal or child concern reasons. I feel it is totally unnecessary for teachers to visit homes (unless invited for a particular purpose). I do know some teachers who display a photo brought from home of the kids in their classrooms on a "getting to know you" type bulletin board, etc., and feel that is appropriate. In today's world we can never be too careful, though. Things aren't the way they were when we were kids!
Eh, I don't know -- I think things are the way they were when we were kids, it's just that nowadays we acknowledge them and hear about them on the news when they were pretty much hushed up before.
What I'm worried about is that the school is basically encouraging the teacher to be a de facto social worker and/or truant officer or mandated CPS reporter, all of which I find disturbing.
It's also putting the teacher at risk. Yes, 99.9% of people are reasonable human beings, but there will always be that percentage of people who are not. Most teachers are female and are not known for their self-defense prowess. Wouldn't a visit to thirty to forty strangers' homes put her at risk for rape or assault? I don't think that's impossible -- nor even improbable, in some cities or neighborhoods.
It is just a way for the teachers' union to spy on everyone so they can take over the whole world one day.
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