The idea of an entire teaching staff at a school being fired because scores aren't high enough sounds crazy to me. We all know as college students that we are responsible for our own grades and the professors are not to blame for our bad grades. How is it different for middle and high school students? Our society wants to blame anyone but ourselves for our children's lack of educational development. If we were to take responsibility, we would have to admit that we are doing something wrong in our home.
When I was a kid my parents always asked me if my homework was done and if I said yes, they asked me to get it and go over it with them. Today most parents work all day and when they get home the last thing that they want to do is go over the homework with the kid. So, if the kid lies and says that their homework is done, when it isn't and you don't check up on it, hows fault is that?
This blog is entirely my opinion and not meant to offend anyone, but myself as a parent take responsibility for my child. If she is to fail a grade, then she will be held back to retake that grade again. She will be asked everyday if her homework is done and if so, then to bring it to me so we can go over it. It will be explained to her that it is not that I do not trust her, but that I want to make sure it is right and that she needs to be accountable for her responsibilities. By me doing this I will know if my child is falling behind and hows responsibility it is for this problem. I will not jump to the conclusion that the school is responsible.
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I agree with you completely that parents need to maintain an active role in their childrens education. I do think that teachers need to be held accountable for the classes they are teaching. I was in no way an overachievier through out highschool. However, there were classes that my teachers didn't require us to do much and I didn't. Ones that made it clear that we had to, I did. I had a Biology class in highschool and the entire class watched Family Feud everyday. An occational group test that was open book was required of us. The information that I learned in my highschool Biology class was that not everyone is cut out to be teachers. This entire class missed out on the opportunity to expand our minds.
ReplyDeleteTabitha,
ReplyDeleteYour right about that, some teachers should not be teaching! Iam sorry that you went through an experience like that. When I was in high school all of my teachers seemed very good at what they did. However, that was a while ago. I guess that is the way it goes. Today teachers dont get paid enough money to do the job that they do. They are educating our children, they should be paid better then fast food returant managers. Thank you for your feed back!
Keith,
ReplyDeleteAs I read through your post, it made me start to think about my high school and below classes and how much the people around me did care about my grades. In middle school my parents would always ask me if I finished my homework and checked it every night. But as I entered high school, I never had homework. I know that sounds completely crazy but I really didn’t. My teachers would always give up “extra” time in class to finish anything we didn’t accomplish because they knew we were all in sports.
I am not saying that is good teaching or bad but it really does help when you have someone helping you out in any possible way. I wouldn't say that the teacher are responsible but sometimes I do think that can be the issue at hand.
My input on your parenting skills is that: I think it’s awesome that you are involved in your child’s life and want them to do well in school. I know many parents who could care less what scores their children receive on their tests. I would love to see more parents like you, which are involved and interested in their child’s life and not so wrapped up in their own. =]
I agree with your opinion to a point. I do think it is important going through elementary and middle school to have a parent check that homework is done and go over it if needed. However, I believe there is a certain point when an adolescent has to become responsible for themselves. When the adolescent goes to college, there is not somewhere there to monitor their work.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning, I do think it is important to make sure the child gets the habit of doing homework. As they progress through school, I think that monitoring should decrease. If a child does not do their homework, there will obviously be punishment. At the same time of teaching them new information, I think schools and school work help teach responsibility and independence.
I certainly feel you have made some great arguments Keith. I am definitely on the same page as you. At what point will our society stop blaming teachers for any or all of the inadequacies of children. Based on recent discussions in the media, one could infer teachers, counselors, and school administrators are a large reason why children are not academically succeeding. However, our society has not taken into account cultural changes. Many of today's homes are characterized by working parents, multiple television sets, video game consoles, internet access, and cellular phones. All of the aforementioned amenities and characteristics of the common American household leave no time for homework and other scholarly activities. I believe parents should play a more influential role in a child's academic life. I rarely find parents who are willing to take time out of their evenings to sit down and work with an adolescent on his or her homework. Parents or guardians can have a serious influence on a young individual's work ethic. Establishing and enforcing rules with respect to academic achievement is necessary for many children; however, parents must also play a vital role in their child's academic life to give him or her a realistic chance at academic success.
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