Nuns are best examples for good teaching
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Boy, did New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg get himself into a heap of trouble with educators.
While speaking to students at MIT, he said that "in his ideal world he would fire half the city's teachers and pay those remaining twice as much to teach classes double the current size," reports The New York Times.
He also said that when he was a kid, classrooms were packed and he and others in his generation did just fine - the idea being that good, committed teachers can handle larger class sizes.
He's older than I am, but I had the same experience. I was taught by nuns.
Unlike so many schools today, where some teachers fear their students, we feared the sisters.
My second-grade teacher, Sister Mary Brass Knuckles, ran her classroom in a structured, orderly manner. She took guff from no kid.
The floors were so clean, you could eat off them. The blackboards had a brighter sheen than a Mercedes fender. And our desks, subject to frequent and unannounced inspections, were clean and organized - or else.
As for our attire, we weren't permitted to wear the loose, sloppy clothing kids wear today. We wore trousers, blazers, white shirts and clip-on ties.
There was a clear sense of right and wrong and a total lack of chaos - no daydreaming, no talking, no joking, and no doodling.
It was expected that each student would put forth his best effort. Anything short of trying your hardest was grounds for punishment, which included anything from a call home to a pinched earlobe or a whack on the knuckles with a wooden ruler.
I admit that this environment was especially challenging for me, as I have never functioned well within rigid structures. When I wasn't cracking jokes and disrupting the class, I was daydreaming.
Fortunately, no behavioral "experts" were around to pump me full of drugs.
One need not be an expert in education to conclude that the nuns' basic rules weren't such a bad way to go.
Adults were in charge and respected, students were disciplined and orderly, and teachers were supported by parents, who were eager for their kids to master math, science and English.
Self-esteem and other "psychological" concepts weren't part of the formal teaching plan. Our self-esteem was the result of actual accomplishment. Nobody was praised for accomplishing nothing.
All I know is that the discipline and hard work paid off, even for the most average students.
We kids from Catholic schools routinely outscored our public-school peers on tests and were well-prepared for our future endeavors.
Many of my classmates went on to greatness at top schools such as Carnegie Mellon and Notre Dame. I went to Penn State, where I was the first person in school history to graduate with a major in writing and a minor in air conditioning and heating.
In any event, for several years now, some have argued that more tax money, smaller classes, more teachers, more studies, etc., are the keys to better results in America - even though costs have soared over the past few decades and results have not improved.
What we really need is a return to the rigorous basics - good, committed teachers supported by parents - that are still common in Catholic elementary schools.
As the funnier nuns might say, our education system will only improve when we "rid ourselves of our bad habits."
Syndicated columnist Tom Purcell is a freelance writer and a humor columnist for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Email him at Purcell@caglecartoons.com.
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To answer your question, Jason, attendance is what butters the bread. They have to show up somewhere.
Speak, I can't give up, but I have to move on with the curriculum. They have to keep up or catch up. It's all about personal responsibility.
December 28, 2011 at 12:34 a.m.Yeah, more butts in seats mean more state money...period.
December 27, 2011 at 6:45 p.m.The most important thing for administrators, imo.
interesting point brought up about the attendance and i.s.s.
i wonder if things would be different if the school didn't "earn" its funding based on attendance numbers but if it was more performance based. not just test scores, which i hate and would abolish, but graduation rates and perhaps some other ways of measuring success.
times have changed and 'sigh' not for the better. i was lucky enough to attend both private and public school. visd was lacking back in my day, but from what i gather it's even more so today.
i find it shocking that homework is a rarity and even one teacher friend of mine said they only have a classroom set of textbooks. i just couldn't believe that. sad, truly sad.
there really isn't one group that deserves all of the blame. everyone shares in this debacle. the parents, the teachers, the administrators, t.e.a, students, even the people like me posting comments on a story. shame on all of us.
December 27, 2011 at 6:37 p.m.Jared.
You are the voice of reason.
December 27, 2011 at 3:44 p.m.DING DING DING!!!!! We have a winner folks. Jared just stated the real problem of it all instead trying to blame abortion, homosexuality, Satan, or the lack of “prayer in schools” like some nutjob. Jared, there is a solution for those who don’t have good parents
December 27, 2011 at 3:30 p.m.SpeakTheTruth, give up? No. Rather, effort should be spent on that problem rather than treating the symptoms. It is the hardest problem of all to solve.
December 27, 2011 at 1:11 p.m.Jared-you are right about parental involvement. It is definitely #1. I think the problem with some parents is they feel their job is done just because they get their kids to school each day. That is the extent of their involvement. Should teachers just give up on those kids because their parents aren't involved?
Riverboat- thanks for the clarification. I can only imagine that there are children who don't want to be in school. Do you just give up on those kids? My sister, a teacher, is always telling me it is her job to teach ALL the children in her classroom. No matter what. She says a great teacher can teach anyone. She says that you have to find out what makes each child tick.
December 27, 2011 at 12:36 p.m.Much of Catholic school success is not because of class size, tuition, or class (upper, middle, lower) rather it is because parents are involved. Kids need parents or parental guidance (for example, kids at boarding schools receive it from their mentors). After that solution, then other solutions could be tried to further success, but you must get that first one right. Without the parental, I am afraid the school will look closer to the "Lord of the Flies" rather than "Lord of the Shire."
December 27, 2011 at 9:06 a.m.I taught at I.S.S. and most of the kids there were really smart and totally bored with a "dumb down" school system.
December 27, 2011 at 8:18 a.m.So Riverboat, this ISS thing, did this develop as a means for schools to have a way to maintain higher attendance records in order to help their overall ratings or do ISS students fall of the attendance charts once they are no longer in it?
Getting sent to an alternate school... How does the attendance thing apply there as well?
December 27, 2011 at 6:52 a.m.Allow me to clarify. I have many students who are respectful. Their parents/guardians expect it from their kids, and they train them to show respect to those in positions of rightful authority. For those who are disrespectful, there is ultimately nothing in place that means anything. If they don't go to detention, they receive I.S.S. But if they misbehave in I.S.S., what's next? More I.S.S.? They might get a suspension for more serious infractions, but they come back. And if the misbehavior continues, then . . . more I.S.S. There are only so many slots available at the alternative school.
My concern is not just my sanity. The misbehavior of students means the others who ARE respectful aren't getting to learn, and taxpayers aren't getting their money's worth, either. Being there for students is a positive message. Unfortunately, there are some students who just don't want to be there, and amply demonstrate this with a wide range of behaviors from falling asleep to making constant disruptions.
Catholic/private schools, it should be pointed out, have the luxury of NOT putting up with chronic misbehavior. Parents pay good money for the privilege of sending their kids there,and there are no refunds if the school decides to release the student. You can bet your bottom dollar the kid will show respect in that setting.
December 26, 2011 at 10:32 p.m.Kyle
What time is your spaceship departing? See if you can get to Uranus before Gary...
Pmtasin is certainly welcomed on my planet, & we might even make room for you if you will start behaving yourself.
December 26, 2011 at 6:39 p.m.Riverboat- You write, "there is NO respect because there is no need for it.". WHAT? How can you make such a generalization? Where do you teach? Juvenile Detention Center? I'm sorry that none of your students respect you. That says more about you than it does about the children you teach. Hopefully you are retired and don't have to put up with a system that has obviously done you wrong. I attended Catholic schools and never saw one single act of corporal punishment. So maybe that isn't the answer either. The respect I was referring to is conveyed by making sure these children know you are there for them, that you care enough to teach them, that you look forward to seeing them everyday, and that you teach them, through actions and words, to respect themselves and their ideas.
December 26, 2011 at 4:25 p.m.SpeaktheTruth wrote that "Sister Mary Brass Knuckles would probably do just fine in public schools. It is all about respect."
That's precisely my point. There is NO respect because there is no need for it. Assuming the assistant principal accepts a referral without the disciplinary intervention plan, the student may spend a couple of hours, maybe a couple of days in I.S.S. They don't have to practice respect there any more than they do in the classroom. There is nothing to dissuade disrespectful students from their ways because they know they've got all the cards. The worst that can happen is a stint at the alternative placement school. They come back, though, after several weeks. Forget about expulsion, unless they commit arson or murder.
Once again, Sister Mary Brass Knuckles would be unceremoniously pulled out of the classroom and escorted to the police station. Her teaching certificate would be revoked by the T.E.A. Then she'd have to spend hours discussing her anger management issues.
December 26, 2011 at 1:20 p.m.I meant to share Joe Bower's post, "United States: How not to reform education" http://www.joebower.org/2011/11/unite... it was linked to on the Dangerously Irrelevant post. These are my favorite blogs on education.
This all may seem off topic, but I think Catholic schools represent the positives in education. A few of the voices in the reform conversation are teachers or principals who work in Catholic or private schools.
P.S. Our unaccredited private school is off to The River Walk for an economic field trip. Old Navy is having a 75% off sale! ;) ;)
December 26, 2011 at 10:29 a.m.I love the quote on Joe Bower's blog, For the Love of Learning, "Assessment is not a spreadsheet -- it's a conversation."
December 26, 2011 at 10:04 a.m.A look on how another country views America's educational reform: "If we believe that our overriding task in schools should be to develop the full potential of all of our students, with all of the diversity and differences among them, one thing is clear: we’ll only get so far with a system that focuses on standardization…" Testing, Testing Larry Booi & J.C. Couture Alberta Views
"If Finland is the model, America is the anti-model..."
How NOT to Reform American Education http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2011...
And another blog I enjoy: http://www.joebower.org/2011/07/testi...
December 26, 2011 at 9:56 a.m."The "Public School" is Satan's No. One target."
Might be true-
You sure got the devil if you didn't turn in homework.
Satan used to be in the classrooms all the time.
December 26, 2011 at 9:51 a.m.We just called him Teacher or Couch.
"The "Public School" is Satan's No. One target. Take out God, Prayer, the Ten Commandments and the Bible and put in Sex Education, Anti-bullying (key word for pushing the homosexual agenda)..."
What time is your spaceship departing? See if you can get to Uranus before Gary...
December 26, 2011 at 9:38 a.m.The "Public School" is Satan's No. One target. Take out God, Prayer, the Ten Commandments and the Bible and put in Sex Education, Anti-bullying (key word for pushing the homosexual agenda), drugs, immoral books and video's and tons of money and you have a recipe for disaster.
December 26, 2011 at 7:17 a.m.By the way, since 1973 (Roe vs. Wade) the SAT scores have been spiraling downward in all the schools. 135 unborn babies were killed from Victoria County in the last reporting year. When everyone comes to realize that: "Abortion is not an Option", then things will start to improve. What is needed more than anything is prayer. wpt
I think I'm with Mayor Bloomberg on this one. Same could prove beneficial in Victoria public schools. Get rid of the ineffective teachers who resort to trickery and other tom-foolery to "bring down" marginal students. The truly GREAT teachers can handle just about anything. Rebecca is right, too. Put the crummy public school teachers at private school and you will more than likely see the same level of garbage as these teachers exhibited in the public schools. The private schools just don't have to put up with it. And don't! Parents with kids in private schools are heavily invested in their childrens' education. Financially and otherwise. As it should be.
Hey Riverboat-Sister Mary Brass Knuckles would probably do just fine in public schools. It is all about respect.
December 26, 2011 at 12:39 a.m.I think it's unfair to compare public schools to private Catholic schools. Let's send all public school teachers to private schools and let's see where the difference is... Is it with the teachers?
December 25, 2011 at 11:56 p.m.River, when I read that headline, I think of examples of local nuns who have had the patience (freedom) and tenderness to allow a young child more time to develop, physiologically, when learning to read, for example - even as late as fifth grade.
I'm thinking Catholic education is superior, BECAUSE it can provide a more individualized education...
And, even at the college level, honor students are awarded with smaller class sizes.
December 25, 2011 at 11:49 p.m.Truth be told, teachers probably could take a larger load. Back then if a student became unruly, consequences were swift and harsh. But Sister Mary Brass Knuckles would not last an hour in the average classroom today. If she applied the kind of lesson with a ruler, 25 text messages would go out immediately, and hundreds of administrators, parents and reporters would mob the school.
December 25, 2011 at 10:41 p.m.