VictorCharlie,
I'm not sure where to start. You essentially attack me for having the mindset that I will protect YOUR child like he or she is my own child. How many people would do that? If your child is in my class, he is "my" child and I will treat him with the same respect and dignity I afford my own children. If you take offense my comments, you have taken them too literally. I do see many of "my" kids more than their parents do. I do care for "my" kids for as long as you let them be in my class. When school is over, they are yours. When they are in class they are your precious child that I have a soulful responsibility over. I do not take that lightly.
You have a choice in which school your kids go to. Private schools (and I currently teach at one and my kids attend) are expensive and they are not always the answer. Home school if you can but I see many that can't, for whatever reason. You can move to another district, state, or country for that matter. You have choices, you just do not choose to exercise them. That is your decision and you have your reasons, all viable, that is fine with me but don't go into a tirade at me about government and schools and how teachers want to warp your kids' brains. Short of that exercise, step up and do something positive for the school your kids attend. I'm not going to defend the school system as a whole, there's plenty of problems; from kids, parents, teachers, and administrators to politics, government, and society, but there are good public schools and lots of good teachers. That's one reason I got into teaching, to try to make what little difference I could in the "system" and try to have a positive influence on a few kids.
Please, I beg of you, teach them your morals, ethics, and values, you strike me as a man that I would ride with for the long haul, but do not discredit my morals, ethics, and values when you don't even know me. It is our free society that has made the schools what they are. Please, take them back but don't jump on me because you don't like your kid's school or the system. You might find that I am more on your side than you think. William summed it up pretty well, we have too many parents committing parental malpractice, even at our private, middle-class, white bread, school. Many parents have even committed parental suicide. Many times it is the teacher that is left to try to make something of this child. If nothing else, we try to show the kid we care and pray they make it. No, not all teachers take this personal of an approach but many of us do.
I'm sorry if I stepped on your toes and invaded your parental space.
If you still don't care for my wording in my previous post or this one, that's fine, I'll leave it here. If your kids are in my class I will still love them and protect them whether you like me or not. I have made that decision regardless of what you wish.