How About A Reality Show About Teachers?

[Dinger]

Public school teachers that is. Then people could see how "lazy" and "incompetent" they are. Hey, it could be interesting.:shrug:

[scottl]

1. Excellent idea

Although to be successfull, they should offer a variety of classes. I have always had a fascination for history, but an hour of reality geometry just wouldn't work for me......

[havocmom]

2. How 'bout one where those who knock teachers get to BE teachers

for. oh, say 30 days. Of course, for most it would take a week or less to grasp that it is not an easy gig at all. Oh, and remind them to bring their own TP.

[Starry Messenger]

9. I like your idea.

I would watch that, yes indeed.

[LibDemAlways]

14. Most wouldn't last a day. After being a stay at home mom for

a number of years I went back to the classroom as a substitute last year. If "reality" cameras had been following me around they'd have witnessed the following:

disrespectful 12th graders a week from graduation telling me basically where I could stuff the assignment the teacher had left

8th graders whose idea of a good time was to have a farting contest during a math lesson

coping with a boy who tossed the "N" bomb in another student's direction - sent to dean - dean did nothing - fight almost broke out when the boy returned to class

taking on 6-week assignment for a teacher on maternity leave -receiving e-mails from parents about everything from classroom seating arrangements "I demand an immediate conference to discuss why my child's seat was moved" to angst over grades "My child never gets less than an 'A' on tests. Why did she get a 'B+' on your test?"

watching a 7th grader during that same assignment go from happy-go-lucky to scared and somber when her father was severely injured in an accident

speaking with a parent who was in tears because her son had been placed in a remedial reading class

hunting down a rambunctious (and fast) 5-year-old who decided he'd had enough of Kindergarten and simply ran out the door in the middle of storytime


I could write a book. Anyhow, there are few "people" jobs more intense than teaching. Teachers are educators, but they are also to some extent social workers, mediators, and crisis counselors. A sense of humor is a prerequisite. Teaching skills go way beyond mastery of the subject matter. Teachers must be clever enough to hold the attention of an often-restless audience, flexible enough to change course mid-stream, tough enough to maintain order and discipline, and kind and gentle enough to lend a truly sympathetic ear. It's not a job for the faint of heart and there's nothing easy about it.

Of course I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. It would be fascinating and highly entertaining to watch a show centered around people who complain about teachers being placed in a public school classroom for a few days while the cameras roll.

[Smarmie Doofus]

15. If they paid you a little more you wouldn't goof-off like that.

>>>>>>disrespectful 12th graders a week from graduation telling me basically where I could stuff the assignment the teacher had left

8th graders whose idea of a good time was to have a farting contest during a math lesson

coping with a boy who tossed the "N" bomb in another student's direction - sent to dean - dean did nothing - fight almost broke out when the boy returned to class

taking on 6-week assignment for a teacher on maternity leave -receiving e-mails from parents about everything from classroom seating arrangements "I demand an immediate conference to discuss why my child's seat was moved" to angst over grades "My child never gets less than an 'A' on tests. Why did she get a 'B+' on your test?"

watching a 7th grader during that same assignment go from happy-go-lucky to scared and somber when her father was severely injured in an accident

speaking with a parent who was in tears because her son had been placed in a remedial reading class

hunting down a rambunctious (and fast) 5-year-old who decided he'd had enough of Kindergarten and simply ran out the door in the middle of storytime>>>>>>

Seriously... be thankful you were a sub. For the rest of us... it's all of the above plus ten times that much paperwork.

[LibDemAlways]

16. I'm well aware and have nothing but respect for those

I fill in for. Sorry if I gave any other impression.

During the six week stint, by the way, I was expected to do everything the teacher I was subbing for usually did - including all of the paperwork - for a fraction of the pay and no benefits! Subs in my district (or "guest teachers" as we are called) are required to be fully credentialed, but we are certainly not afforded much respect by the faculty, students, or parents. Just a fact of life as a "sub."

[Smarmie Doofus]

17. No. My post was tongue-in cheek.

You expressed the difficulty of the job very well.

Yes, I'm aware that subs get treated miserably.... by most admins, many of the kids and even some of the teachers.

I'm nearing retirement.... and one thing I won't do is come back as a sub; I literally couldn't take it.

[No.23]

3. That wouldn't be enough for me to consider...

reconnecting the television in our home.

On the other hand, and if you had a reality show about homeschoolers, now that would be a good reason for me and my daughter to watch together.

P.S. If you want a taste of a teacher's world, there's even a better way of getting that: volunteer some time in his or her classrooom.

[ulysses]

4. you've no idea the kind of boring tv I'd make.

:D

[stray cat]

5. Not all members of any profession are saints

Just because you have a specfic job or title doesn't mean you are competent for a job - or incompetent. I think employess need job security and I think job security can not mean rewarding incompetence or an inability to perform.

[Name removed]

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[iamjoy]

7. Not Such A Good Idea

I mean, it sounds like a good idea at first, but has problems.

first, you'd have to get the parents to agree to have their children filmed. Of course, there are all kinds of parents will exploit their kids for attention and/or profit, so that may not be an insurmountable problem

But consider that people act differently when they know (or think) they are being watched. Do we want a teacher or student posturing for prime time instead of focusing on learning?

Education is too important to turn into a source of cheap entertainment

So called reality television is entertaining for the masses, but exploits those who do it. Of course, usually those who do it are far from victims, they are looking for their fifteen plus minutes of fame. If you think these shows are reality I have a mortgage for you. They "coach" the players on things to say, ways to move, etc. They use clever editing, in some cases re-filming entire scenes for dramatic effect. The media companies love it because it's very profitable since they don't have to pay much for writers and don't have to deal (as much) with actors' demands.

A serious documentary done by PBS might work.

[Dinger]

11. I Like Your Idea

of a serious documentary on PBS better than a reality show. Excellent suggestion.

[Dinger]

Self-delete (Dupe)

[GoesTo11]

8. How about they compete to keep their jobs

with egotistical and self-serving administrators making the decisions? Sort of like Trump's show.

[etherealtruth]

20. Similarly to the experiences people in other professions have?

[GoesTo11]

21. Hey, it works well everywhere!

I love The Office (UK version).

[etherealtruth]

23. So do i ;)

[chrisa]

10. Because "Reality TV" is scripted garbage.

It would degenerate into students having love triangles, pseudo Hollywood personalities, and manufactured contraversies.

How could anyone watch that crap?

[AngryAmish]

12. There is a show called "The Principal's Office"

(I hope I'm using the right principal)

The clips I have seen on Talk Soup are very funny.

[Double T]

13. They could be locked in the teacher's lounge, fed only apples and Kool-Aid...........

and we could watch what happens. Might be vvvvvvery interesting!:evilgrin:

[tonysam]

18. Television Critics Would Call Such a Reality Show "Fantasy."

n/t

[Gin]

19. heard a story on NPR about NY teachers being sent to the "Rubber Room"

for disciplinary reasons (including personality conflicts w/Principal)...they have nothing to do while awaiting a hearing on their cases....get full pay....some are there for years with nothing to do at full pay....as many as 700 teachers....they watch DVD's..talk....make small groups based on ethnicity...it's like a little jail....but at full pay.

[etherealtruth]

22. Reality is boring

Most teachers are adequate and most students are "average."

In order to interest anyone "they" would need to find a saintly teacher with miscreant students, criminally insane parents and a completely corrupt and inept administration.

Perhaps a show could be based upon good students with caring parents, a motivated administration and a teacher that wasn't very bright, was burned out and to make it even more interesting an alcoholic.

As I said, reality is boring.

[treestar]

24. That would be great. The main difficulty would be parents

Who would never consent to their little angels bad behavior being publicly aired. They'd be blurred out like the arrestees of "COPS" when they won't consent. Or maybe since they are minors, they would get to nix the film entirely.

A good fiction show might do - there are zillions of shows about doctors and lawyers and detectives but none about teachers!

[etherealtruth]

25. I am an oldster, so I remember many positive tv shows about teachers

Room 222, Welcome Back Kotter, Head of the Class ...

[treestar]

27. I remember those too

I was thinking along the lines of an hour drama like all those doctor shows. The teacher shows were half hour sitcoms, generally.

There is a little in the modern Beverly Hill 90210 soap opera. The older generation characters have a guidance counselor and a principal and teachers. But it's not concentrated on that the way those hour dramas are on the cops or doctors or lawyers.

[Posteritatis]

26. now I'm picturing a show simply called "Teachers"...

... Filmed, soundtracked and narrated in exactly the same style as Cops.

(... Though in all seriousness the idea of a 'teaching procedural' would be interesting if done right.)

[Name removed]

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