Got this from a mom on another site, parents responsibility in schooling

I thought this was incredible for someone to actually stand up and say something. AND print it in a newspaper. (this isn't the link to teh article, it's a cut and paste from a mom I know on another site ) It really made a lot of sense to me, and I'm sure a lot of others (educators especially) will have it hit home with them.
I italicized teh article, so it wouldnt' be confused with my post.
Written by :

Steve Blow, Columnist, Dallas Morning News


Hello, parent. Nice to chat with you a moment.
What you're holding in your hands is a column from The Dallas Morning News.
That's obvious to those reading this in the newspaper. But if my plan works, you may be reading a photocopy of the column.
I was so eager for this one to be copied that I made it real easy. No annoying jump today. The whole column is right here – ready to clip and copy. Oh, and you don't have to call the newspaper for permission. Make as many copies as you want.
What makes me so eager to get this in your hands? What could be so all-fired important?
Your child, that's what. Your child's future. Your child's success. Your child's happiness.
Got your attention, didn't I? Of course I did. We love our children. We want the very best for them.
Well, I need to warn you about a dangerous notion that is spreading – one that has hurt a lot of kids. I hope to crush that mistaken idea.
Here's the myth: Schools educate children.
Don't fall for it! Too many children have suffered already.
Let me explain. Of course schools can help educate a child. But just like a book or a pencil, a school is only a tool. And a tool can only do so much. A book can't open itself. A pencil has no words of its own. And schools alone can't educate.
Parents must be in charge of their children's education. To put it plainly: The success or failure of your child's education is up to you.
We spend a lot of time talking about "fixing" schools. The truth is that few are broken. The much bigger problem is parents who have forgotten their vital role. When that happens, schools struggle.
Teachers have a hard time discussing this. It sounds like they're making excuses. But it's true.
As a parent, you have the power to make a complete failure of the very best teacher or finest school. How? Easy. Just say bad things about the school to your child. Tell how unfair teachers were to you. Criticize a lot. Or simply take no interest at all. Trust me, your attitude will quickly be your child's attitude.
On the other hand, if you are excited about school, chances are your child will be, too. Make it clear how important education is to you. Set high goals. Volunteer at school if you can. At least introduce yourself to the teacher. Don't hesitate to make an appointment as soon as concerns arise. Working as a team is everything.
At home, talk about school. Make it fun. Praise. Encourage. Turn off the TV for a while each night. Make that homework time. Or reading time.
If you didn't love school, that's OK. You're still the key to your child's success. Visit a school counselor to learn ways of helping.
If big, big problems arise, consider moving your child to another school. Learn your options. Sounds drastic, but remember: You're in charge.
Real school reform begins at home.

Bravo!

WTG

That's a great article! So smart!

Perfectly said. ITA 100%

one word comes to mind...

Duh!!!

I'd hope this would be an obvious thing and it's just so sad that it's not. In Mya's class last year out of 25 kids only 4 mom's were counted to attened ANY class fieldtrip or volenteer to help or even seen. meetings were espeically dissapointing. her teacher counted 10 parents who can to their babies kindergarden, first report card meeting.

That is SO sad!

Sure it might be sad... but let's be honest... there's only a small percentage of parents who stay at home with theri kids.... and of the working moms... not many have the chance to be able to take off from work or re-arrange their schedule whenever there's something going on at school. And of course, some of the moms who do stay home, have a work at home - such as daycare, like me, and don't necessarily have the chance to participate as much as they'd like.

So Actually, I think 4/25 is a pretty good turn-out, considering the statistics of sahms out there. Life is expensive...too bad we can't all stay home with our children without income

Most of that article is of course, common sense. Ita that parents should fully participate in their childrens' education. Schools should be supported and parents should be as involved as possible.
Having said that, I have very strong opinions about just how involved we parents are expected to be. Is it my responsibility to teach my child how to do a research paper that was assigned in class, or is it the teachers'? Should my chilren be doing 2-3 hours of homework b/c the teacher planned poorly and couldn't get everything done that day? Luckily, I have an education, and the time and inclination and skills to teach my child, but sadly, that is not the case for every child, or even most children. I believe if you are going to hold a child accountable for a particular assignment, you should be responsible for giving them the tools, knowledge, and skills to accomplish that. For a variety of reasons, that is not happening, at least not in my childrens' schools, which for the record, are fairly highly regarded. I am wayyyyyyy more involved in my kids' homework than my mother ever was with mine, and it's not b/c I want to be, believe me. They are simply incapable of completing many of their assignments as they are delivered w/o my assistance. They are given final exams w/o any clue whatsoever how to prepare for a test of this scope (in 5th grade). They are given major research papers w/o the skills necessary to write and put the information together. However, they are graded and held accountable as if they had the knowledge to begin with. So, in this highly competitive rat race we've set up for our kids, do I let them fail, or do I jump in and give them the best chance for success given the circumstances?
I could go on and on. My point is, teachers and schools are pretty quick to shove responsibilities that are primarily theirs' onto the parents. Yes parents should be involved, but the schools are hardly models of efficiency and success. There is room for improvement, lots of it.

I can see both sides, of this from Jeanne's point, and the article's POV.
Something is to be learned from both POV's.

Unfortunately, someone people don't think the same way. It's a shame really.

I love the article! As always, children always come first...before work, everything, IMHO.

This post has been edited by TannerBugsMom on Aug 21 2006, 11:48 AM

A round of applause!

It's a good article. It's flawed in assuming that all of the blame for kids' failures belong with the parents. It's true that parents need to be involved in their children's education. But that doesn't simply mean to assist them with their homework. We also have the responsibility to identify and communicate problems we find with the system to the school for corrective action. We also have the responsibility to not take "no can do" for an answer. Jeanne is dead on in her counter-points.

I once collected my fifth grade daughter's homework texts. She had more than two hours of homework that night and between text books and notebooks she needed, her bag was extremely heavy. Fortunately that same evening was "Back to School Night" where parents were encouraged to come in and meet the teachers and listen to them cheerlead us unworthy parents. I took the bookbag to school with me after telling my daughter she could pick from several subjects to complete not to take more than one hour. I carried that bag into every one of her classes and made each teacher sling that bookbag over his/her shoulders. They were, with one exception (and that teacher is no longer employed by our school system) all appalled. Before the meetings were over the principal was stalking me in the halls. He needed me settle down and stop "making a scene." He should have known me better. After the meetings, several of the teachers and the principal accompanied me to the nurse's office where we weighed the bag. It weighed in at 48 pounds (US). At the time, she weighed a little over 60 pounds herself. She was basically carrying around a third grader with her.

The problem was identified as lack of communication between the various teachers. In fifth grade our students start to move to different teachers and different classrooms to mimick high school as a preparatory program. Well the failure in that was the cirriculums didn't change to smaller texts and did not take into account that high school students average five classes per day, and elementary school students average seven to eight. A weekly planning session between the teachers came from my impromptu demonstration that night. Other parents complained too, after me. If I had not gone that night, I don't think anything would have been said.

So, Mr. Steve Blow. You are partly correct. Parents need to be involved in their children's education. The schools are also to be held accountable though, for that is what we pay them for.

I love the article, how ever that being said, I am still a supporter to the ones who say that sometimes the public school teachs thing I wish my kids didnt know about....or maybe that was worded incorrectly. I know there are ideas out there that I know to be false, some about religion, some about sex, some about peer pressure, and what the idea of marriage is, I wish that some of those things were not taught to my child in a school setting. I feel that there are some issues that need to be taught just at home.

I cant imagine not knowing whats going on in my own childs class, not knowing the teachers or the kids, or whats being taught.....
I hope more parents are starting to step up for their kids.