Can any Teachers answer a survey of 10 questions about school for me?

Question

please let me know what subject you teach and which grade. please answer with details. thank you.
1. Do you think children get too much homework?

2. Do you think parents are shifting some of their responsibilities on to you?

3. What do you do when some of your students are exceptionally bright and others are not as quick to learn?

4. What subject(s) do you wish you had more time for in school?

5. Is there any subject/topic you think children should NOT be learning in school?

6. Do you think pop culture has changed the behavior of the average student over the years? (ex. ruder, changes in the way they dress)

7. What type of lessons do students seem to enjoy most? (ex. reading together, working in groups)

8. Do students who have a difficult home life suffer academically?

9. What method of punishment is most effective? (ex. writing name on chalkboard, detention)

10. Do you feel preparation for standardized tests take away from regular subject learning?

thank you so much for your answers. i've gotten a lot of insight which i'm finding very helpful.

Answer 1

I teach Spanish to MIddle School students.

1. Yes, I think many teachers overuse homework. I personally feel that there should be no more than 20 minutes of homework per subject, per night in middle school.

2.Absolutely!!! I have actually had parents tell me on the phone that I need to deal with whatever problems their child has because it is "my job". Unfortunately, when you are dealing with parents who don't take responsibility for properly raising their child, then you as the teacher are then in charge of trying to not only teach the kids academics, but also social skills and how to succeed outside the classroom, and not end up in jail or worse.

3 I try to vary the activities so that my brighter students who catch on quickly can move along and even elaborate or incorporate more into their project or lesson. I use a variety of teaching strategies so that all types of learners are reached.

4. I wish I had more time to do hands-on projects.

5. No, I think that all the subjects taught at my school are appropriate and worthwhile.

6. Definitely- the way kids speak to other kids, as well as to adults. I find more and more that kids try to speak to adults as if we are their peers. As far as the way they dress, our school has a strict dress code, but there are always the few who try to get past it.

7. My students love doing group activities that don't involve a lot of writing.

8. Yes, most of the time. I have so many kids who tell me stories that are so heart-breaking!

9. I find that if the students are responsible for their own behavior and consequences, then it is much more effective. We come up with a mission statement as well as expected behaviors at the beginning of the year. That way, the students have created the rules and consequences, not me.

10. Yes!!!!

Answer 2

1. I dont know the average amount of homework, but as a teacher and a parent I think an hour a day is the absolute maximum. Anything after that is not likely to be done due to fatigue, family plans, social life, etc. So as a teacher in a 4x4, I give no more than 15 minutes of homework a night.
2. Yes. I don't know how many parents I've called about their kids who won't work, behave, etc..., and the parent tells me to figure something out because they don't know what to do either...
3. If I catch it early, I try to get them into an honors/Ap class. If not, I try to get them to mentor the slower students.
4. I think P.E is the most neglected/overlooked subject. Most high schools only reqire 2 years and many kids can bypass this with R.O.T.C. or some other elective. I firmly believe that P.E. daily (not health and education but exercise) should be required of all teachers and students.
5. No. To be well rounded everything possible must be offered.
6. Yes. PDA and inappropriate language are more prevelant now than in the previous decade.
7. The students enjoy group work the most. Unfortunately, it is also the style that they will talk the most and work the least.
8. Yes. But a heads up to the teacher and a little compassion by the teacher as well as a little forgiveness during the time in question can be constructive.
9. Personally, I think doing extra book work on topic is most effective. First, they might actually learn something and second, they don't want to do it.
10. Yes. I think standardized testing which can determine whether a student graduates or gets promoted is wrong. In my book that is just punishing kids who aren't good standardized test takers (and most aren't).

Answer 3

I teach Language Arts and Social Studies to Grades 7 and 8.

1. I don't think children in my school get too much homework. I think about ninety minutes per week per academic subject is appropriate. I also think the work should not require students to use textbooks because it's bad for students' backs to have to carry five books in their backpack each day.

2. Definitely. We're not just supposed to teach the curriculum, we're also supposed to teach manners, common sense, critical thinking, sex ed, social skills and even some religious and political information.

3. I differentiate my instruction. For more information, see any of the books by Carol Tomlinson that are published by the ASCD. They're available on Amazon.

4. I think school already strikes a good balance between subjects.

5. I don't feel that religious education and/or religiously-themed activities belong in public schools OR publicly-funded Catholic/Protestant schools. [Which obviously means I don't believe Catholic/Protestant schools should receive tax funding.]

6. I'm a new teacher, but the students I work with today are a lot more polite and well-mannered than my classmates were at that age. Every grade is different... sometimes it's a bad grade and you just can't wait until they hit Grade 12, other times you want that group of students to stick around forever.

7. Students enjoy learning through doing, not learning through reading textbooks and taking notes. Students enjoy learning when they can use the skills and knowledge in a real-world setting. Students enjoy learning when they have choice and are given a variety of ways to approach the subject matter so that it becomes personally relevant to them.

8. Definitely. Students who are worried about their parents' divorce or whether or not there will be food on the table that night can't be expected to concentrate 100% on their classwork. Schools need to acknowledge, respect and accommodate that.

9. The best "punishment" is a serious, face-to-face conversation. For more info on why things like writing lines and detentions don't work, read about Behaviourism.

10. Absolutely. Standardized tests don't reflect the ways that a person would use their skills and knowledge in the real world. We should be preparing students for LIFE, not for a test. I would like to see standardized tests be used to measure TEACHERS' effectiveness-- not students'!

Answer 4

I teach 8th grade science

1. My students do not get too much homework, but my 4th grade grandson does. He is only supposed to have homework from one subject a night, but that doesn't include the spelling each week and the vocabulary each week and the math drill each week.
2. Oh my gosh yes. Parents want me to be the heavy so they can be their kids friend.
3. Have the bright ones tutor the others, bring the slower ones in for tutoring.
4. science
5. no
6. Yes. Students have less respect for adults, for women, for property. They have more inappropriate language at younger ages.
7. Group work, hands on activities
8. Yes, they can't keep their mind on their studies. Too much going on at home.
9. Calling home. Talking to coaches or band directors.
10. Yes. I cannot do the fun things for worrying about drilling in the content that will be covered on the test.

Answer 5

middle school social studies 6-8th

1. no...not enough
2. most have already, at least where i teach...we feed the kids, give them supplies and watch them sometimes until 9-10pm in after school...
3. give them extra material on the topic, ask them to do some more research pn their own...this rarely happens today due to the homogeneous grouping of classes now...most classes have kids that all work on the same level...
4. science and technology
5. we SHOULD NOT HAVE to teach things like basic hygiene and common sense things these kids should be learning at home or at least before they get to 6th grade...
6. yes, but it is not just pop culture...people are getting stupider and prouder of it...there is a stigma in my school of being a smart kid...granted the "smartest" kid in my school still only meets 70% of the standards he should...too many parents who are not well enough educated themselves raisding kids who will turn out to be even less educated...it will just spiral downward exponentially...
7. hands on, creative opportunities where there is really no right or wrong answer, low stress activities, field trips...
8. they can, i have seen cases where students who came from a poor home life acted out, failed classes, drank and did drugs, got sexually involved at an early age, even got pregnant...then there are others who use it as a motivation to do well and be able to work their way out of a bad situation...unfortunately there are fewer of these types...
9. nothing...in my school kids do not fear any consequence, they relish being suspended or sent to the alternative program...it is all a big joke...
10. yes, yes and yes...teachers are forced to divert from their curriculum and teach specially prepared packets that focus on a 'skilll of the week' that will be needed on a state or city test...very often teachers who are not experienced at teaching math or language atrs do a poor job and actually end up misinforming the kids...