Vegas Kid wrote on September 30, 2009 08:21 PM: It disappoints me to discover so many adults have little faith in Las Vegas's teachers and students. However, I've noticed many of the posters that slated these students lack proper grammatical skills. The apples don't fall far from the tree, eh?

Despite popular belief, not all of us are junkies scavenging to score a stash of crack. On the other hand, I am not going to lie and say all of us are a group of little angels. Any teacher would scoff at that statement.

In addition, I have dealt with my handful of bad teachers. I am also thankful that I have had the opportunity to be taught by some of Clark County's most remarkable educators.

My educators and mentors helped me to pull through the adversity of having neither of my parents at this critical stage in my life. Without their guidance and teachings, I fear that my successes would not have been possible.

lashiba jefferson wrote on June 11, 2008 10:25 AM: d

A very good middle school studen wrote on April 22, 2008 03:44 PM: What do you mean kids in vegas dont need an education thats wrong my parents check my homework stay home with me all the time..My teachers are the best
----SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL MY TEACHERS AT SIG ROGICH MIDDLE SCHOOL----------

PERIOD 1: MRS HOUSTON-P.E.
PERIOD 2: MRS JACOBS-FAST MATH
PERIOD 3: MRS STEIGERWALD-READING
PERIOD 4: MRS MALY-SCIENCE
PERIOD 5: MRS LANDIS-ACC ENGLISH
PERIOD 6: MRS GIARDINA-MATH

1: Mrs Houston you are such a fun teacher
2: Mrs Jacobs you push us to do our best and i like that
3: Mrs Steigerwald you encourage us to do our best and are very fun
4: Mrs Maly i like science and the activites are fun Thank you so much
5: Mrs Landis English is awsome and you can teach it very well and Format is a great writing organizer
6: Mrs Giardina you are the best teacher i have ever had in years

-----TO ALL MY TEACHERS----------
MY GROUP OF TEACHERS ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT HOW EVERYONE DOES THANK YOU THANK YOU ALL MY TEACHERS IN THE PAST DIDNT CARE IT WAS THERE FAULT AND THEY WERE BLAMING EVERYTHING ON ME AND MY PARENTS SO ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU!

A very good student wrote on April 22, 2008 03:12 PM: I go to Sig Rogich Middle School and in the Clark County School District are school was the only school in the whole district who only had 8% fail the math test so we have the highest test scores and we have over achievers like me im a straight A student so dont be saying kids are lazy cause i study hard

Sandi Matthews wrote on March 31, 2008 07:57 AM: Now you understand why I always gave homework for every day of every vactation, Christmas ,Winter and Spring and each day of the weekend. Recency and frequency is a real educational phenomenon. Kids just won't remember if they don't do these skills daily that have been recently taught. Any thoughts on this?

P.O.ed Teacher wrote on March 29, 2008 11:15 PM: cas127 - remove your head from your @$$! I work more than 50 hours a week. Then I take home work on the weekend and during ALL of my breaks. On track break I am in my classroom at least twice a week and I work on curriculum at home. At night I keep my cell phone near me - through dinner and dates, so that my kids can reach me for help with their homework. (Since my fifth-graders parents can't do fifth grade math!) I earn all of my money and probably deserve more of yours. You begrudge me a decent retirement plan (with no health plan since fourth year teachers will NOT get that benefit) and barely enough money for my single self and my elderly mother. Who helped you get where you are, you ungrateful, uneducated lout!

cas127 wrote on March 29, 2008 01:30 PM: Well, all I can say is...

1) Thank god we give teachers a full year's pay for 65% of a year's work (take a look at their legally binding union contract).

2) Thank god we grant them taxpayer guaranteed pensions that almost no one else in this society gets (take a second look at that legally binding teachers union contract)

TOMMY PERKINS wrote on March 29, 2008 02:04 AM: Having two children in the school system. And proud to say they are both high acheivers. Mostly because my wife and I work with them alot. But I do have to say that part of the problem not all of them because some of it is the parents and thier bad @$$ children. But principals protecting the bad teachers does not help either. And in this district oh boy there are alot of them. Both of my children are attending a magnet school which offers alot more. But before that my god the problems I had in the schools. Teachers you also have a resposibility. Instead of always making excuses. We all have jobs and If we don't complete our tasks to standard we are also let go.

Try Thinking wrote on March 28, 2008 11:49 PM: Paul, seriously? You need 2nd grade math skills for algebra for the same reason you need kindergarten ABCs in order to read a novel.

Your suggestion that teachers don't want to help students after school makes me so angry. Helping students after school makes us feel good, needed, productive, empowered. I've never turned down a student who wanted tutoring. (Although I've had my share of students who never turn up.)

It's the things-called-students that we don't want to stay after and help. Hey kid? Don't spend the entire class period wasting time and being disruptive, then ask for special private instruction after school. Don't ask for extra credit when you won't bother to earn the regular credit. Don't ask how you can get your grade up with some special project on the last day of the semester when you weren't interested in completing any of the projects assigned.

"But it's BORRRRRRING!" Yeah, I know Dead Poets Society pushes the idea that class should be innovative and interesting. But guess what? Robin Williams' students in that movie were quiet, attentive, and willing to work (however boring the work was). Give me 25 kids like that, and I WILL BLOW THEIR MINDS with fresh, creative thinking that invites rich, student-centered discussion.

Instead, I have to "audition" for my students' attention every day, with 40 Chuck Barrises ready to hit the gong if I'm not more interesting than an incoming text message within 30 seconds of the bell ringing.

You want me to stay after school, on my (as you admit) thin dime, for those people? Hell no. HELL NO.

j wrote on March 28, 2008 11:36 PM: Good math teachers, the ones who EXPECT homework to be completed, and EXPECT children to actually pay attention in class are targeted by the CCSD administration and discharged. Why? Because these teachers have standards and fail students, this makes parents angry, and administrators turn around and blame the teacher.

Is it easier to just pass students, even ones who are failing, or deal with irate parents, and administrators?

Grade inflation is another issue as well, that should be addressed, as it is part of the "dumbing down" of the U.S. school system.

Yet another issue, when 3/4 of the students don't speak English, and have migrant parents, they don't have the background in math, and need to be taught basics to get up to speed.

Why don't high schools have a lower math than Algebra I for students? Not everyone is ready for 21st century cirriculum.

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