Comment on Why are US states, school districts banning smartphones in schools?

• thebardingreen@lemmy.starlightkel.xyz ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  I have a kid, I spent 10 years working with kids professionally, and I agree with this dude.

  In fact, lots of people, myself included, are drawn to leftist anarchism BECAUSE of lessons we learned about the failures of authoritarianism in school from parents and teachers. It’s always super annoying to see parents and teachers settling comfortably into an authoritarian role with their own kids, after hearing them wax emphatically about the effects of authoritarianism in adult society. I’m surrounded by hypocrites, and it’s not harmless. It’s like everybody either forget what it’s like to be kids, or think that the lessons of adulthood give them license to stop caring about those “little” problems, when actually they just find it “easier” or it “feels safer” to them.

  I have friends who we’re excellent teachers, but left the school system in absolute despair because they went in and tending to be collaborative, entertaining teachers and passionate advocates for the kids and their care… Only to run up against all the bureaucratic walls the education system throws up to prevent exactly that and create as much conformity as possible… And then the icing on the cake is the vast majority of parents who just don’t get it, Don’t even try to get it, Don’t listen, know what they know, their opinions are their opinions and talking to them is just effing hopeless.

  Whenever I’ve dealt with really difficult children, 9 times out of 10 you meet the parents and you’re like “Oh, this all makes sense!” (I can actually only think of three exceptions and two of those were clinical sociopaths). Or you going work with a school (I’ve worked with and at dozens of schools) and you’re like “Oh, I understand why the kids from this school that I see in my program are always behaving in XY and Z dysfunctional ways. How is everyone this clueless and incompetent??” I have watched teachers utterly fail to teach or connect with the kids in their charge, and then watched those same teachers play politics and keep their positions while teachers who are doing a great job get let go (or forced out through social bs) because they want to ignore all that crap. I have had teachers come up to me when I’m running a program or event at their school and had them say “Oh my god, I’m so sorry, I saw the kids in your program and those are all the most difficult children we have!” And I’m like “these kids are fine! You’re an authoritarian in an authoritarian environment, aren’t you??”

  And I’m literally surrounded by adults who like think they know what they’re doing and aren’t even trying to get it and it pisses me the fuck off.

  My kid creates super good boundaries, he emphasizes kindness in communication in ways I was totally unable to do it his age, he advocates for himself (and other kids) like someone a decade older, and if he’s on his phone in class, it’s because the teacher is failing to engage the class. End of discussion. When I see that situation, I’m almost always like “I could teach this class and these kids would not be on their phones, and I have the experience under my belt to prove it.” (And I have seen shit like that).

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  • mmhmm@lemmy.ml ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Respect. You and yours are the educators that treat kids as people and not cattle to be controlled. Mind bending how revolutionary that act is. Thank you

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    • thebardingreen@lemmy.starlightkel.xyz ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Thank you. But I don’t do it anymore. I could not make earn enough money to have a stable life and family.

      I have a whole different rant about that.

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