Ethnically Speaking by Larry Meeks

Dear Readers: I continue to get letters from teachers and others who are totally frustrated with kids in school who refuse to learn and are out of control. The anonymous teacher who wanted to invite military recruiters but was rebuffed by her fellow teachers caused a big stir with many readers.

The following responses are very representative of the replies:

From Retired Military: I retired from the U.S. Navy as a Senior Chief Petty Officer. I was a nuclear reactor technician in the Navy's Submarine Service. I can assure you that other than scrubbing decks, chipping paint and painting, there are few fields in the Navy for recruits with no high school diploma. If they cannot do math, they might as well forget about the Navy.

All military branches use highly sophisticated electronics, even the infantry in the Army and Marine Corps. Joining the military is no longer a solution for disciplinary problems. The kids who join need to be intelligent, educated and motivated.

The students that Anonymous has in his/her classroom will not fit the military.

From Watkins: Perhaps being told by a recruiter that they can not get into the military without working a little harder in school will encourage a few of these students to buckle down and start working. Many of these kids in Anonymous's class want a "macho" job, and the military should be very appealing to them. It's worth a shot and it doesn't hurt to give them an option.

From Beth: There are thousands of schools around the country that would do anything to have you as a teacher.

I suggest that you don't waste any more time in a do-nothing school with do-nothing colleagues and do-nothing students. You cannot change students if the administration is not committed to change. Leave before you get burned out.

I know what I am talking about because this happened to me five years ago. I am just now recovering from that impossible situation. The anxiety is not worth it.

From Tupelo: I have wrestled with this problem for 30 years. I have spent my entire working life trying to educate kids. I am now convinced that some children, though it's not always their fault, are just not motivated to learn or not capable of learning. Our schools spend too much energy beating their heads against the wall trying to teach out-of-control children to the detriment of the others who are willing to learn.

I believe we need to let those out-of-control children go. Too many of our public schools are nothing but warehouses for so-called students that need to be in some kind of trade school.

When a student can't or won't learn they become disciplinary problems and they prevent others from leaning. I believe we should try to teach students until the age of 15, maybe 14. If they refuse or can't learn, dismiss them and move on.

From Another Anonymous Teacher: I would be in big trouble if my fellow teachers knew I thought this way, so don't mention my name. We need to have vouchers. Those kids described by Anonymous need to be taught a trade and let's stop pretending we are teaching them something. It is nothing but a waste of time and money.

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