Here's a great article that caught my attention.  I hope all you fake diploma lovers like it.  If you need a diploma company to do special work for you, please give us a call.  Yes, we actually answer the phone.

 

 

 

 

Michael Chesbro asked:


The prevalence of fraudulent, substandard, and illegal diplomas and degrees is an ever-increasing problem in the United States.

The United States Congress has found that the safety of the American public is particularly endangered by the sale of fraudulent degrees, and that the preeminence of the United States in science and engineering, as well as the prestige and reputation of American universities, is threatened by the trafficking of fraudulent degrees, diplomas, and certifications. (109th Congress, 2006)

Religious and theological degrees and other degrees from religiously affiliated institutions are some of the most commonly issued fraudulent, substandard and illegal credentials. The reason for the prevalence of fraudulent religious and theological degrees is the fact that anyone can incorporate a “church” by registering as a non-profit organization within a state. This “church” can then claim that its bylaws grant it the authority to issues certifications and degrees. Unfortunately many innocent people seeking a religious education fall victim to these “churches” issuing “degrees” that aren’t worth the paper the phony diploma is printed on.

These organizations issuing fraudulent and substandard religious degrees often claim that their action is protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and guarantees of religious freedom. Simply put this is not the case. Religiously affiliated institutions are not exempt from state oversight under the First Amendment, nor do they gain the privilege of issuing fraudulent, substandard, and illegal degrees under protection of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

As an example of this, the Texas Attorney General has issued an opinion (JC-0200) that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act does not exempt religiously-affiliated institutions from the requirements under the Texas Education Code (Chapter 61, Subchapter G). The statute does not regulate any religious practice. Institutions that have a religious affiliation are free to exercise their religious beliefs. The law is written to regulate very narrowly those activities that are academic only, such as representations that the instruction is college level or that the student can receive a degree, and not to impinge on any religious practice or belief. In addition, institutions that do not wish to meet the academic standards of a higher educational institution are free to teach and prepare students for ministry positions as long as they do not assert that the level of their education is collegiate, either by offering degrees or calling the institution a college, university, or seminary. (Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, 2007)

Unaccredited, religiously affiliated institutions are free to teach their religious doctrine as they see fit, but they may not legally represent themselves as colleges, universities, or seminaries; nor may they issues degrees or titles associated with degrees.

RELIGIOUS VS. ACADEMIC DEGREES

A commonly heard claim from institutions issuing fraudulent, substandard or illegal religious degrees is that there is a difference between a religious and an academic degree, and that the rules that govern academic degrees simply don’t apply to the issuance of a religious or theological degree.

We have already seen that in the opinion of the Texas Attorney General religiously-affiliated institutions are NOT exempt from meeting the requirements of the Texas Education Code, but what about legitimate religious schools and theological seminaries, how do they view their own degrees?

Of the 251 religiously based colleges, universities and theological seminaries currently recognized by the ‘Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada’ and by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) all maintain an academic curriculum and structure and (based on a study of their web-sites and publications) consider their degrees to be an “academic degrees.”

The on-line encyclopedia ‘Wikipedia’ is a continually reviewed updated and reference source which can be edited by anyone. Wikipedia articles offer insight into the general public perception of a topic. When we look at the Wikipedia entries for Doctor of Theology and Doctor of Divinity we see that they are both defined as “academic degrees:

• “Doctor of Theology (in Latin Theologiae Doctor, abbreviated Th.D.) is a terminal academic degree in theology.” – (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_of_Theology)

• “Doctor of Divinity (D.D., Divinitatis Doctor in Latin) is an advanced academic degree in divinity.” – (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_of_Divinity)

Clearly every legitimate theological seminary and college or university offering a theological program considers an academic curriculum and structure essential to their degrees, and the public impression of religiously based degrees is that they are in fact academic degrees.

One should be extremely wary of any entity that issues degrees with no academic curriculum or structure, claiming that its religious nature somehow exempts it from any academic standard or requirements. Such an entity is almost certainly issuing fraudulent and illegal degrees, or at best is issuing a substandard degree that confers no qualification or legitimate credential whatsoever, and may in fact be illegal to use in many states.

WARNING SIGNS

One should be particularly aware of degree scams that offer you credit for your life experience and current spiritual work, giving you an immediate doctorate degree in divinity, theology, or ministry all for a few hundred dollars and perhaps requiring a short paper of no more than a couple thousand words.

Another warning sign that an institution is issuing fraudulent, substandard, or illegal degrees is if they make it a point to explain why their degrees are “bonafide legitimate doctorate degrees.” While a truly legitimate college or university will normally identify its accreditation it is highly unlikely that it will have to stress why its degrees are “bonafide and legitimate”. Only an institution issuing fraudulent degrees needs to attempt to convince you of their legitimacy.

It is important to confirm the physical address of any school before you enroll. A legitimate college, university, or seminary will have a physical business address, even if it is set up to provide only on-line study. Any institution using a mail drop address is almost certainly issuing fraudulent and illegal degrees. You should be able to visit the institution that will grant your degree. If the offices of the college, university, or seminary are a back room or basement in somebody’s home, the degree is almost guaranteed to be substandard, and is most likely being illegally issued.

As we continued to look into the issue of addresses, we discovered that it is a violation of Federal law to use the Postal Service in conjunction with a business and request to be addressed by, any fictitious, false, or assumed title.

“Whoever, for the purpose of conducting, promoting, or carrying on by means of the Postal Service, any scheme or device… or any other unlawful business, uses or assumes, or requests to be addressed by, any fictitious, false, or assumed title, name, or address or name other than his own proper name, or takes or receives from any post office or authorized depository of mail matter, any letter, postal card, package, or other mail matter addressed to any such fictitious, false, or assumed title, name, or address, or name other than his own proper name, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.” (18 U.S.C. 1342)

Beware of any institution that offers a ‘one-time only tuition cost to you:’ ‘each doctorate degree is only $$$, get a second degree at half-price, $$$’, or any similar come-on where you simply purchase your degree for a flat fee.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (2005) “Most diploma mills charge a flat fee, require little course work, if any, and award a degree based solely on work or life experience.”

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (2007) cautioned that one of the warning signs that an institution may be offering fraudulent or substandard degree is charging “tuition and fees by the degree and not by the course. Whether charging $299 or $29,000, this is a sign of fraud. Legitimate colleges charge tuition by the credit hour (semester, quarter, or trimester) or by the course. Not all fraudulent or substandard institutions charge by the degree; some charge by the credit hour in order to appear legitimate. However, legitimate institutions do not charge by the degree.”

The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education advises: when considering a degree provider, an answer of “yes” to one or more of the following questions may be an indicator of a diploma mill.

• Can degrees be purchased?

• Is there a claim of accreditation when there is no evidence of this status?

• Is there a claim of accreditation from a questionable accrediting organization?

• Does the operation lack state or federal licensure or authority to operate?

• Is little if any attendance required of students, either online or in class?

• Are few assignments required for students to earn credits?

• Is a very short period of time required to earn a degree?

• Are degrees available based solely on experiences or résumé review?

• Are there few requirements for graduation?

• Does the operation fail to provide any information about a campus or business location or physical address and rely only on a post office box?

• Does the operation fail to provide a list of its faculty and their qualifications?

• Does the operation have a name similar to other well-known colleges and universities?

• Does the operation make claims in its publications for which there is no evidence?

While it is not possible to list every institution engaged in a degree scam or issuing fraudulent, substandard, or illegal degrees; the state of Michigan maintains a list of schools that have been found to be most egregious in their issuance of fraudulent degrees.

The list can be found on-line at:

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Non-accreditedSchools_78090_7.pdf.

Degrees from any entity on this list will not be accepted by the Michigan Department of Civil Service as satisfying any educational requirements or job specifications. Even if you don’t live or work in Michigan, any institution on the Michigan list is highly questionable, and would most likely be found fraudulent, substandard, or illegal if investigated by any other state.

The state of Maine maintains a similar list on-line at: http://www.maine.gov/education/highered/Non-Accredited/UnaccreditedSchools-112706.pdf

The state of Oregon is a leader in the fight against fraudulent, substandard and illegally issued degrees. Oregon maintains a list of entities issuing invalid degrees on-line at: http://www.osac.state.or.us:80/oda/unaccredited.aspx.

In addition to checking the Michigan, Maine and Oregon lists of unaccredited institutions, one should also check the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) – Database of Institutions and Programs Accredited by Recognized United States Accrediting Organizations, on-line at: http://www.chea.org/search/default.asp and the U.S. Department of Education Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (USDE) on-line at: http://www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation/.

The CHEA and USDE databases list institutions that are recognized as having met certain standards in their education programs.

While being listed in the CHEA or USDE database doesn’t guarantee that a degree will be suited to any specific purpose, an institution that issues degrees and is not listed in either one these databases is at best highly questionable.

STATE HIGHER EDUCATION BOARDS

Next, contact the higher education board in the state where the “degree-granting institution” is located and get the board’s opinion of the institution in question. Every state has some type of governing body for higher education. When considering enrolling in any college, university, or seminary, where there may be a question about its legitimacy, it pays to contact the governing body for higher education in the state in which the institution is located and ask whether that institution is recognized by the state and whether the degrees they issue are legitimate.

At the time this article was written the U.S. Department of Education maintained a list of State Higher Education Agencies on-line at:

http://wdcrobcolp01.ed.gov:80/Programs/EROD/org_list.cfm?category_ID=SHE

LAWS

Several states are beginning to recognize the problem of fraudulent, substandard, and illegally issued degrees and are passing laws to combat this crime.

Currently it is illegal in North Dakota, New Jersey, Texas, Nevada, Washington and Maine to use unaccredited degrees. It is illegal in Indiana to use an unaccredited doctorate. Other states are considering laws to protect their citizens from diploma mills and substandard degrees.

In Washington State, issuing a false academic credential is a class C felony; and knowingly using a false academic credential is a gross misdemeanor. (RCW 9A.60.070)

Florida Statute 817.567 — Making False Claims of Academic Degree or Title.– provides that no person in the state may claim, either orally or in writing, to possess an academic degree, as defined in s. 1005.02, or the title associated with said degree, unless the person has, in fact, been awarded said degree from an institution that is: (a) Accredited by a regional or professional accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education or the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation… [or run by a state or by the Federal government, or for schools outside the U.S. has been validated by an accrediting agency approved by the United States Department of Education as equivalent to the baccalaureate or post-baccalaureate degree conferred by a regionally accredited college or university in the United States...]

and

(2) No person awarded a doctorate degree from an institution not listed in subsection (1) shall claim in the state, either orally or in writing, the title “Dr.” before the person’s name or any mark, appellation, or series of letters, numbers, or words, such as, but not limited to, “Ph.D.,” “Ed.D.,” “D.N.,” or “D.Th.,” which signifies, purports, or is generally taken to signify satisfactory completion of the requirements of a doctorate degree, after the person’s name.

LIFE EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

According to Roger H. Schmedlen (2006), writing in the Michigan Lawyers Weekly, “Some unsophisticated would-be experts may truly believe it is possible for them to obtain a legitimate degree without attending classes or performing any study activity–simply by using credit from lifelong career experience. . . . It isn’t!”

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board warns that another of the warning signs of fraud is an institution that “offers to grant a degree or generous amounts of credit for life experience. Claims that one can receive a complete degree for one’s life experience are a sure sign of fraud. Calculating credit awarded by years of service in a particular job or function is also a sign of fraud. Legitimate colleges that award credit for life experience require extensive evidence that the experience is the equivalent of coursework taught at a college. The average legitimate award by that means will be approximately 12 to 18 semester credit hours (about one semester). Many students who are assessed receive no college credit.”

While one should understand that no legitimate accreditor enforces any particular theological understanding, doctrine, or theology; it is just as important to understand that states have a responsibility to ensure that the public is not put at risk by fraudulently issued degrees and credentials. Ask yourself whether you would trust a medical doctor who received an immediate medical degree based on life experience. Would you trust a psychiatrist whose degree was based on a 4 to 8 page paper? No? Well, if you will not trust your physical and mental health to a person with a fraudulent or substandard degree, why would you trust someone with this type of degree to guide you in your spiritual and religious well-being?

John Bear (2007) offers an emphatic warning concerning fraudulent degrees: “We must warn you, as emphatically as we can, that it is very risky to buy a fake degree or to claim to have a degree that you have not earned. It is like putting a time bomb in your resume. It could go off at any time, with dire consequences. The people who sell fake degrees will probably never suffer at all, but the people who buy them often suffer mightily. And — particularly if their “degree” is health-related — their clients may be seriously harmed.”

We consider a religious degree to be health-related in any case where the degree-holder is involved in offering counseling or spiritual guidance. One’s spiritual health is just as important as one’s physical, mental and emotional health.

CONCLUSION

Fraudulent, substandard, and illegal degrees endanger the safety of the American public. Persons who use a fraudulent, substandard, or illegal degree and provide health-related services, to include counseling, providing life-skills and religious guidance or therapy, put the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health of their clients at serious risk.

Using a fraudulent, substandard, or illegally issued degree is likely to have dire consequences for the person who uses it, both in employment and licensing issues and in matters of trust and integrity. It is in fact illegal in several states to use an unaccredited, fraudulent, substandard or illegally issued degree.

A serious question should arise in regard to any individual’s integrity and competence, who claims a fraudulent, substandard, or illegally issued degree regardless of any other credentials or experience that person may possess.

FOOTNOTES

109th Congress – Diploma Integrity Protection Act of 2006 – H.R. 6006 http://thomas.loc.gov/home/gpoxmlc109/h6008_ih.xml

Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada

http://www.ats.edu/

Bear, John, Quackwatch, Degree Mills,on-line at: http://www.quackwatch.org/04ConsumerEducation/dm0.html (May 2007)

Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)

http://www.chea.org/

Federal Trade Commission, “Facts for Business Guide on Avoiding Fake Degree”, February 1, 2005 on-line at: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2005/02/diplomamills.shtm

Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education – http://www.okhighered.org/student-center/college-stdnts/academic/diploma-mills.shtml

Religious Freedom Restoration Act (42 U.S.C. § 2000bb (1993)

Schmedlen, Roger H. CPP, CFE, CII, MIPI – Michigan Lawyers Weekly, “Doctor Who? Avoiding Fraudulent Opinion Experts”, April 24, 2006 Edition; on-line at: http://www.securityexpertonline.com/fraudulent_security_expert_article.htm

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Frequently Asked Questions, May 2007 http://www.thecb.state.tx.us//AAR/PrivateInstitutions/FAQ.cfm

 

 

 

 

 

So here's an article that also spells out the nature of "accreditation" and how diploma mills take advantage of the unwary.

 

 

List of accredited online colleges and accrediting agencies. Diploma Mills/Fake Online Degrees and red flags!

Diploma mills (or online degree mills) often claim accreditation by a fake accrediting agency to attract more students to their online degree programs and online courses and make them seem more legitimate.

Watch out for the following features, as they should be viewed as red flags when considering whether or not to enroll in an educational institution:

1. Online degrees that can be earned in less time than at average accredited colleges and universities. (Getting a Bachelor’s degree in a few months surely sounds good. But if it sounds too good to be truth, you know it IS.)
2. A list of accrediting agencies that sounds a little too impressive. These distant learning institutions are trying too hard to look officially recognized and approved, so they imply this approval by mentioning state registration or licensing. Licensure and accreditation is not the same thing!
3. Tuition and fees are paid on a per-degree basis, while accredited schools charge by credit hours, course, or semester. Watch out for discounts for enrolling in multiple online degree programs.
4. Little or no interaction with professors should trigger your attention at once.
5. Names that are similar to well known reputable and prestigious universities. Or addresses that are box numbers or suites. That campus may very well be someone’s mail drop box.
6. Diploma mills require little, if any, academic work in order to earn a degree. One or two research papers can’t possibly make you earn a bachelor’s or master’s degree.
7. An ".edu" extension means nothing regarding a school's quality or legitimacy. Some fake online degree sites are able to obtain “.edu” extensions.
8. Getting an academic degree requires no visits to the school or other face-to-face meetings with its personnel.

Special education is near to my heart. During my career, I’ve seen many different levels of ability, and I have to say that some of the wisest minds aren’t necessarily the sharpest. Today’s educational system is trying to embrace the special needs of children in learning environments, including those who are advanced.  

 Credit: Sophie (scol22)

Brawn and Brains
One student stands out in memory. He excelled in class and in the gym and he was driven to protect fellow brainy students--kind of like Clark Kent with an attitude. This kid had it all, and he wasn’t uncomfortable giving swirlies to jocks who gave swirlies to geeks.

Intellectual Bully
This student wound up being one of the most popular kids in high school because he appealed to the jock and the nerd equally, almost as if he bridged the gap between the two groups. He did nothing for kids who weren’t sharp or athletic.
There’s nothing wrong with flexing biceps, and flexing the brain can be equally appealing, but our high school hero wound up flexing in the wrong direction when he decided to take on a student in remedial class. His fixation on the perils of the academically advanced made him blind to the perils of the academically challenged, often making this group the target of jokes and neglect.

Remedial Wise Guy
Our hero soon turned into an intellectual bully who did little more than serve as a guard dog for scholars and an icon of high school athletic achievement. His narrow perception made him blind to the true nature of special education.
One day, he had a quick exchange with a student who struggled with behavior problems and with all things academic. I felt a wave of disappointment upon hearing our Protector of the Geeks use the word sped. Later, I was glad that he chose to misuse the word.
The kid responded, as he entered his remedial classroom, “You’re in the gifted class. That makes you a sped too, genius.” How very wise this student was.

Defining Special Education
Special education involved changing teaching approaches in order to meet the needs of the student. This includes students who need special instruction because they are advanced. As the suggests, gifted students require special teaching strategies.  Gifted classes are special education, and our Remedial Wise Guy taught us a great lesson, including the difference between knowledge and wisdom.

I absolutely loved the idea, when I was a child, of being in a one-room school house. I thought it would be fun to watch younger and older students learning things other than what I was being taught. I also thought it would be more like a family and less like, I suppose, torture.

As a teacher I often thought the same thing. I noticed many of my students had unpleasant, if not horrible, home lives and I wanted the school to feel more like family. Unfortunately, communities have become much too large for such an environment to be realistic, or so I thought. As my first year teaching progressed I realized that it didn’t really matter how big or small the school was. It was possible for me to make my classroom feel like a home, and for my students to treat each other as family instead of as competitors or advisories. I admit it wasn’t an easy thing to accomplish nor was I always successful, but it was worth the effort for the times I did succeed.

   

My classroom became a place where everyone had to be polite to one another. I wasn’t so naïve or idealistic as to think everyone had to like each other, and I think that is what made the difference. The students knew I didn’t expect them to like or respect everyone, not even me. I explained that liking someone was an individual choice and respect had to be earned and shouldn’t be expected. Politeness, on the other hand, was something everyone was capable of offering everyone else.

Amazingly this one little concept truly did make my classroom feel more like a little family. People didn’t yell and weren’t mean to one another (most of the time) and the children were able to focus and be more productive because of that environment. I hope that being polite to others is a skill that they will take with them as they journey through life.

What was the most important skill you learned in school? What is your ideal classroom?

The concept of multiple intelligences is luscious, a sensuous notion about learning that focuses on the senses. Developed by Harvard’s Dr. Howard Gardner, this concept addresses different learning styles. You can maximize your learning potential by learning how you learn. It’s important to go through all of the steps in the process because the results may surprise you. 

 

 

  Photo by Kenn W. Kiser

Seven—Err, Eight Learning Styles

Initially, Hot Howard from Harvard presented seven intelligences but an eighth type has been added to the mix. Check out the learning styles to see which one suits your brain the best.

The original set of multiple intelligences has changed since its inception in 1991. The eighth learning style is the naturalist intelligence, pertaining to those who learn best in the great outdoors.

Learning Style Test

While you may nod your head with certainty when you look at the list, you should take the Learning Styles Test anyway. I know that your learning style seems obvious to you but you might be in for a surprise.

I took the test thinking that I would fall into the interpersonal learning style without a doubt. My test scores said otherwise, showing that I am primarily a musical learner. Now this seemed off the mark to me considering that I don’t play an instrument and to be brutally honest, I look much better than I sound.

Surprises and Self-Discovery

After looking back at my education, I slowly realized that the sounds around me really stuck. I remember song lyrics very easily; I used to make up funny songs and rhymes to recall facts for exams. And even though I loved gazing at my gorgeous history teacher in high school, it is his buttery voice that stays in the forefront of my memory.

I would have never recognized my own skill as a great listener. This very skill is what makes me such a wiz at interacting with others. Other surprises may be in store for you as well.

Multiple Multiple Intelligences

You may find that you are intelligent in a number of different facets. Some people score equally well in two or three realms, making it possible for you to be a mathematical, visual, and naturalistic learner.  

So take the test and tell Brainy Bridgette how you did. I do love surprises.

Grammar Girl is an adorable character created by Mignon Fogarty who provides quick and dirty tips to help grammatically challenged individuals find fast answers. I am among the group of individuals who have difficulty keeping the rules straight.

During a recent search through the site, I came across terms that immediately made me think of the classroom setting. Grammar Girl makes a distinction between disinterested and uninterested, taking my mind to the uncomfortable setting in front of a sea of students gazing with disinterest. 

 

 

Disinterest in the Classroom

While it may seem as if I made the grammatical mistake of using disinterest to describe a group of uninterested students, I mean to make this distinction. As teachers, we commonly look at our students as uninterested in the subject, meaning that they simply don’t have any interest in the topic.

Let’s try a new perspective and consider our students disinterested. When a person is disinterested, he has no personal stance on the issue. Nothing is at stake. Grammar Girl uses the example of a judge in her explanation. A judge should be disinterested in order to make judgment without bias.

Building Interest

The task of motivating students to develop genuine interest on a topic is nearly impossible unless teachers make the subject relevant to their students’ daily lives. This is the crux of building interest. Teachers can take proactive measures to make classroom lessons applicable to everyday experiences.

Consider some of the techniques used by successful instructors to build curiosity and instill intrinsic motivation. Creating a personalized approach to teaching is a wonderful strategy for building interest in the classroom. Practical application is important as well. Each of these elements requires a student-centered approach, and they each show what is at stake for the pupil. 

Lessening Lectures

I love public speaking and I have to admit that performing in front of an audience is one of my favorite activities. Perhaps I chose the field of education for this reason. While the notion of being the center of attention is appealing, it isn’t always the best strategy when it comes to making information relevant and applicable.

Student-centered instruction does not translate into a complete absence of lectures but it does require educators to factor the needs and interests of the students. We’ll explore some specific student-centered teaching methods including:

Student-Centered Motivation

When a group of disinterested students has an opportunity to be actively involved in their education, they naturally have a better chance of developing interest on the topic. This does not necessarily happen overnight, but it can be a viable solution to classroom apathy. 

I once asked one of my failing students why he didn’t want to learn. How could someone turn away from knowledge?

It’s boring, he replied.

How do you know it’s boring if you know nothing about it? I asked.

He couldn’t develop an answer but he did develop curiosity.

   Credit: Kevin Dooley (Flickr)

I tend to think if there were a rollercoaster themed around school one of the turns would look exactly as that hallway does. A long narrow passageway that tilts crazily to one side while not being well lit is just begging to make someone scream. That would be a scary ride for sure but no more so than a real school is for many students. 

What can parents do?

Parents can encourage their children to talk to them about what goes on everyday at school. Don't let them get away with saying nothing happened. Ask them leading questions. Find out who they sat with at lunch and what they ate. What games did they play at PE? Make them tell you one thing they learned (if they say they didn't learn anything try asking what their teacher told them that they already knew). These answers to these questions, when asked on a daily basis, will give you an idea of how they are really doing. You'll be able to find out if their having a spat with friends or if they are worried about a test. Start the ball of communication rolling and you'll be amazed what happens. They may not volunteer but I bet they'll dish if you show an active interest.

What can teachers do? 

As a teacher I was always seeing students picking on other students or trying to bully their way into whatever they want. I didn't stand for it, ever. I explained that everyone in my class would be treated politely even if they hated each other. I would treat them politely as I expected them to treat everyone else. I didn't demand respect nor did I offer it. Respect is earned. Politeness should be a given.

This worked pretty well with most of my students. When it didn't I would have a private talk with the student then move on to the parent and a form of discipline. Fortunately, most students respond well to a good example and consistent enforcement of rules. 

What can students do?

Students must be made aware that they do have a support network. Make sure they know they can go to a guidance counselor if they are having trouble. They should also be encouraged to talk to teachers if they have questions about assignments. Teachers aren't mind readers and can't help if they aren't asked. 

Students can also join clubs or other extracurricular activities. If they have something to look forward to every day, the ride might be a bit more fun and a bit less terrifying.

Did you or your children hate school? How did you learn to cope??

   

As a teacher I can tell you that when the money people start talking about budget cuts for schools they aren't just talking about a few pennies less for teachers or keeping the same textbooks for an extra year. They are talking about cutting teacher jobs and getting rid of 'nonessential' classes. Bye-Bye art, music, and drama.

 

  Credit: William Murphy Flickr

Now I don't teach any of those subjects (I teach one of those essential subjects) but I do know that losing those subjects is going to hurt my kids. Why? Because the only reason some of them bother to come to school, or be productive while they are at school, is because of those non-essentials. Tell a drama geek or a music fanatic that you'll talk to 'their' teacher and suddenly you have a student who is not only good as gold but who is trying to do their best in my class.

The budget cuts happening across the nation aren't going to hurt the kids who are on the fast track to college but they can be deadly for those students who are barely squeaking through. The government, communities, school boards, and the other money people need to figure out a way to make 'budget cuts' that aren't going to rip away the only motivation many kids have.

I know it isn't easy deciding what should go and what should stay but surely there is a way to save money without compromising classes that play a vital role to so many children. Maybe across the board pay cuts for teachers and administrators? Lower stipends? Fewer field trips? More fundraising for extracurricular activities? I certainly don't have all of the answers but I am willing to make sacrifices that will help keep students in school.

Make your voice heard. What do you think schools and school districts should cut to save money?