Letter to the Editor
What has happened to our school system? When I attended school, the teachers dressed as professionals, and the students were expected to respect each teacher. The expectation for the teacher was to instruct students in a professional manner and to hold students accountable for proper manners in the classroom. The expectation for the student was to act in a responsible manner and demonstrate respect for the teacher and not cause disruption in the classroom.
Several examples of this dysfunction include horseplay in the classroom, students addressing teachers on a first name basis or a nickname rather than by Mr., Ms., or Mrs. and their last name, and physical touching of students by teachers or vice versa. All of these are totally inappropriate.
Somewhere along the line, these expectations have been lost. In my opinion, this historical classroom operation has not been maintained by the parents, Principal, Superintendent, or School Board. Our children and grandchildren are not receiving the level of education that they deserve and we, as taxpayers, are being cheated just like the children who are attending class where the previously mentioned activities are occurring.
We should all be appalled at the lack of respect that is being allowed to go on in our schools. This has gone on for far too long and as a result, very little respect is demonstrated throughout our society. This needs to change to re-establish some level of normality in everyday living.
If you feel the same way, you should not hesitate to have discussions with your children and to contact your school board members to voice your concerns. Let’s begin this needed change to re-establish decency in our society. If we demand this in our school systems, it will eventually improve the respect demonstrated for other professionals such as law enforcement.
This article is not to place raising of our children by the school system, but to get parents to establish basic levels of respect for people and for the school system to reinforce the levels of respect that are expected in the classroom and in a normal functioning society.
Our society has a long way to go to get back to a level of decency, but we must begin somewhere!
Kip and Barbara Archer