Disrespect can drive best teachers from class

06:32 PM CDT on Tuesday, May 25, 2004

By HENRY TATUM / The Dallas Morning News

Marty Walker has taken down the sign over her classroom at H. Grady Spruce High School in southeast Dallas.

It read: "Through these doors pass the most important people in the world."

For nearly a quarter-century, Ms. Walker tried to convince students in her English classes at Spruce that the sign was true.

She pushed them to excel. She told them that they could go to college if they worked hard enough. She gave "Monday hugs" to her students to let them know she appreciated them for not giving up.

Ms. Walker's dedication earned her teacher of the year honors from the Dallas school district and many other accolades. She also has a legion of former students who stay in touch and have sent fan letters to The Dallas Morning News over the years.

But the sign has come down, and Ms. Walker has boxed up her things. Health problems created by the stress of trying to instruct kids who no longer respect teachers or want to learn from them convinced her to retire.

"I still had some wonderful students," she said. "But so many young people today think they can say anything and do anything they want."

Ms. Walker said the foul language in her classroom and the negative response to her efforts to teach finally began to wear her down. "There is a desensitizing today that I blame on MTV, the music and the movies they see," she said. "Kids think nothing of using the F-word and giving smart-aleck answers to their teachers."

Ms. Walker said it was fairly common for her students to keep talking on their cellphones while she was trying to teach. "One of my students brushed his teeth in class," she recalled. "Another walked up to me while I was teaching, handed me her cellphone and said her mother wanted to talk to me."

Ms. Walker said she doesn't want her comments to be a reflection on Spruce High School, where she has spent more than two-thirds of her teaching career. But her talks with other teachers indicate that students' negative attitude about authority and learning has become commonplace.

"Teachers aren't leaving the profession because of the pay," she said. "They are leaving because of the conditions."

Ms. Walker said this is a bittersweet time for her. She has had many a teary night because she feels she is abandoning her children. Her memories of the success stories during her career probably will convince her that she should remain involved in public education in some capacity.

But for now, she would just like to persuade parents and young people to change their outlook about teachers and education. The future is so limited for students if they don't stay in school, Ms. Walker said. "I've tried to be a dealer in hope. But I'm faced with apathy and disrespect."

Her words ring true with each news story about the valedictorians at area high schools this year. More and more, the names are Lu or Yee rather than Smith or Jones. Asian immigrant families have figured out what other American kids still don't seem to understand.

Getting an education is the quickest road to success. Teachers aren't the enemy. They are the ones waiting to unlock the doors to opportunity. That is why so many Asian immigrant parents insist that their children respect their instructors and be prepared in class.

So what is the answer? Are other American youths doomed to fall by the wayside while new immigrants keep reaping the rewards of our public education system?

Marty Walker certainly hopes not. During her years at Spruce, she worked with minority children who hardly knew where their next meal would come from. She dealt with students who had no reason to believe in themselves.

But Ms. Walker's English classes set off a spark in them. They began to see the path. And for many, that path led to college degrees.

She believes that can continue to happen. But teachers can't do it by themselves. They must have parents who are on their side and students who are willing to listen and learn.

Marty Walker has taken down her sign. But she still believes what it says. And she always will.

Henry Tatum is an assistant editorial page editor of The Dallas Morning News. His e-mail address is htatum@dallasnews.com.