School is a microcosm of Society

"Schools are often blamed for the ills of society, yet society
has a major impact on our education system. The problems that schools
are facing today are certainly connected to the problems that are
society faces, including drugs, violence, and the changing of our
family structure. There are many methods that schools have begun to
use in order to deal with the problems they are faced with and still
offer the best possible education to our youth."
Taken from an essay on http://www.cyberessays.com/Politics/31.htm

This quote in interesting to me because it has some very powerful implications for our education system. It is important that teachers recognise that schools are a microcosm of society, meaning that all the problems that exist in the grown up world exist in schools. I think that sometimes as teachers we don't always want to believe that students have problems coming into the classroom. We expect students to leave their problems at the door and come to class every day with a positive attitude, ready to be as excited about my subject as I am. While these are positive expectations, and should be expected of students, I believe that there needs to be understanding when a student comes to class with their problems weighing them down. I believe that it is the teachers responsibility to challenge students to learn how to excel despite the external circumstances and the only way this can happen is by having a caring and compassionate attitude towards these students. How can I expect a students to leave their problems at the door when my bad attitude towards them, when they are having a bad day, only adds another problem to their shoulders. Growing up I noticed these teachers and their bad attitudes were often directed to my friends. Typically the result was my friends shutting down and checking out. Of course I realize that with the sheer number of students I will be in contact with during my career, and the sheer number of bad days I will have as a teacher, this seems very idealistic. Fortunately I believe in a God who I can depend on in the hard times of my career.