Students got a worse rap than they deserve

CYNDIE BORCOMAN

Flo Martin speaks the ills of teaching privileged children

(“Attitude, money problems,” March 4). I teach at an alternative

education school in Santa Ana composed of students that have

experienced multiple school failures, have been abused both

emotionally and physically and do appreciate our school being a safe

place to go to school. I have chosen this population probably for

selfish reasons -- with every kid I reach out to who feels motivated

to graduate, I feel better about myself. The intrinsic reward is

always there. If they fail I can always attribute it to their

environment.

My son went to Corona del Mar High School and I witnessed first

hand the so called “jaded kids” Martin was talking about. I think

Martin would probably agree though, even the “rich kids” share

similar problems with their lower income peers. However, it may be a

little harder when you are “rich” to have adults extend sympathy and

compassion toward you, especially during the moody stages of

adolescence. When one of the students at my school has a bad day, it

can be attributed to “their background,” but few feel bad for the kid

that comes from an affluent home that feels alienated and alone

because theoretically they have “everything.”

I have found that teens from both walks of life share many

commonalities. They want to be treated with respect and want to feel

that they matter and have people that care about them. I believe I

have the easier job because the students I teach have obvious

problems, which motivates me to make a connection with them. It takes

a gifted teacher to see past a student’s jaded exterior, to see the

hurt and anger inside, and to reach out.

My job as a counselor and teacher has allowed me to visit almost

every high school campus in Orange County, and I would describe

Corona del Mar as an extreme school, in that it has a large

proportion of students with parents with not only high income but

high expectations for their children. This leads to a lot of

pressure. Not every student can be at the top of the class, and to

fail in this environment, which prizes success, is very difficult on

kids. It takes a very special teacher to be able to teach at Corona

del Mar. The teacher has to be strong, not to feel intimidated by

some parents who may want the best for their kids but are misguided

into thinking that if they pull their weight and wealth around, they

can push their child to success. It takes much strength for a teacher

to see past the pushy parent and think positively about that child.

It takes a strong teacher to not burn out from teaching the minority

of students who appear to be jaded because they have so-called

everything.

Yes, it is extremely difficult to teach the privileged. Many of

these teachers are frustrated from dealing with parents who are

over-involved in their children’s life and who intervene at all costs

to prevent their children from experiencing natural consequences of

their behavior.

Yet I believe it is just as important to have caring, dedicated

teachers at Corona del Mar as at any other high school in Orange

County. I was very saddened to see the headlines about two such

dedicated and caring teachers at Corona del Mar High School who may

have made an error in judgment in their efforts to make their lessons

more compelling by showing an R-rated video. These teachers are

prized resources. They are teachers who volunteer to take on special

projects that are time consuming but that provide meaningful

experiences, such as being in charge of the yearbook. I understand

why the Daily Pilot would publish this high interest story but I am

sickened that parents would go to the newspaper to report what

appears to be one misstep by the teacher. Is that any way to retain

caring teachers at Corona del Mar, by attempting to humiliate them

publicly?

Last month the Daily Pilot lost an opportunity to show the

community that most of the students at Corona del Mar are not how Flo

Martin described them. Students from several clubs and organizations

organized a tsunami relief concert to benefit the victims of the

tragedy and raised more than $4,000. There are many other examples

that the Daily Pilot has published in the recent years about Corona

del Mar students feeding the poor, helping the sick, tutoring

students in need.

The problem with generalizations about Corona del Mar High School

is that they do not accurately depict everyone who goes there. You

can’t hide good character, and last month many students showed their

true colors.

CYNDIE BORCOMAN

Newport Beach