Saturday, October 2, 2010

Stories in the News

You're right, we don't hear stories like the one about the football team. We haven't heard about the driver since the accident - I figure they are waiting until the trial comes up.

The school that hosted us lost a student to a hit-and-run this week. The school has been doing fundraising to pay for the funeral. Neither story (hit and run or fundraising) made the news - except briefly.

The big story is about a 15 year old and 11 year old who beat a 94 year old man with a rock (he is still in ICU) and stole $27. The boys are being raised by single mothers, the older one has been suspended from school. And this story trumps the football story.

I think we may be perpetuating the bad-kind of story.....

3 comments:

ChiTown Girl said...

You're right, I think we DO perpetuate it. These 'bad' kids get all the attention and coverage in the press, while the 'good' ones only get the attention of those directly involved. Thank God the 'good' ones don't do what they do for the public recognition, which is exactly why they're the 'good' ones!

Ricochet said...

I have talked about how the few kids make it so hard for me to focus on the good ones. You know the kid dancing around the room, cussing you out, threatening your job or your person make it almost impossible to see the one quietly working and focusing on important questions.

In my seating chart I put the icks in the back, the sleepers in the middle and the ones trying to learn up front. Am I sacrificing the icks, yes. I cannot get them to do the work, stop talking, stop playing with your phone, so let me focus on the ones trying until I can catch up and then I will worry about you.

A Phillie Teacher said...

About those icks and sleepers . . I have them too and frankly after putting a lot of energy in trying to inspire them, have put them low on my priority list.

But if an administrator should come by and see the icks and sleepers, we are roasted alive for "poor classroom management."