Teachers Say the Problem with Education is Parenting (and for once I agree with them)

Deputy Political Editor Alison Little wrote an interesting article in the Monday April 25,2011, edition of the UK Daily and Sunday Express Newspaper online. 

HOW LAX PARENTS PACK OFF PUPILS WITH PHONE AND IPOD...BUT NO PEN : Nearly half of the teachers questioned said children did not come to school ready to learn

PARENTS were blamed for classroom failures yesterday after teachers said too many children turn up loaded with the latest technology but lacking basic essentials like pens.

Some 68 per cent of 8,000 teachers questioned by the NASUWT union said lack of parental support was a major cause of pupil bad behaviour.

Nearly half said children did not come to school ready to learn, with a quarter blaming the influence of television, the media and video games. They said pupils were distracted by their phones and other gadgets.

NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates told its conference in Glasgow: “Parents can’t simply abandon their responsibilities at the school gate. Sending their child to school with basic equipment, on time, with homework completed and with clear expectations of how they expect them to behave in school, is a critical part of their role.

“Too many pupils arrive at school with mobile phones, iPods and MP3 players when teachers just wish they would bring a pen. Hours of valuable teaching and learning time are clearly being lost in lessons every day through pupils not being ready to learn.”

I have long maintained the single biggest problem facing public school education cannot be solved by creating new programs or spending more money in the classroom.  The single biggest problem facing public school education is a lack of parental support, and the reality is that proper parenting cannot be legislated.  It doesn’t matter how much money is spent on computers for a school.  If little Johnny’s parents don’t require him to complete his homework, if they don’t monitor his progress, if they don’t sit and read with him in the evening, if they don’t instill discipline at home, the odds are Johnny won’t succeed in the classroom. 

There are no better examples of active parenting than in the homeschooling community.  That is why the results of study after study reveal that homeschooled children outperform their peers on academic tests at all levels.    

You can read more of Alison Little’s article at http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/242762/How-lax-parents-pack-off-pupils-with-phone-and-iPod-but-no-pen-How-lax-parents-pack-off-pupils-with-phone-and-iPod-but-no-pen-#ixzz1KpbpUhpz

Teachers as Co-Parents?

As a parent of more than 23 years, and a homeschooler of nearly 20, when I read articles like the one that follows, you can bet it will result in a rant. After this one, I’m not even sure where to begin.

In her blog post “Why I Don’t Miss Homeschooling”, Sierra Black's (Strollerderby) attempts at being complimentary toward homeschooling (and homeschoolers) comes off sounding a bit condescending. I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt and assume that the condescension was not her intent, but it’s certainly what comes across. Let me share a few highlights.

Sierra begins by describing her homeschooling experience as going “so far as to run a preschool out of my house for my preschool-age kids and some other homeschool-inclined families in our neighborhood.” However, her life as a “homeschooler” ended abruptly when her 5-year old declared that “she’d be going to kindergarten in the fall.” (Don’t even get me started on parents who allow important life decisions to be made by 5-year olds.)

When Sierra admits that she “had a good-natured laugh” over another homeschooler's “rosy vision of the close connection they’ll share as they learn together at home” I could practically reach out and touch the sarcasm. Her insistence that this blogger’s vision was “not only rosy, but also real and lovely” did nothing to calm my rising irritation.

My annoyance only grew when I read that Sierra “loved homeschooling”. Really? She homeschooled a few 3- and 4-year olds. Some of them weren’t even her own. That’s not homeschooling; that’s a neighborhood play group. When Sierra continued on, explaining what she enjoyed most about “giving up” homeschooling, I had a "good-natured" laugh myself. (I’m guessing that by now you’re feelin’ my sarcasm, too!)

What I found as I read on convinced me that this post is really more about parenting than it is about homeschooling. It seems to me that what is really being presented here is a justification for part-time parenting. Read on:

“…sending my daughter to school has made me a more relaxed, connected mom.”

Of course she’s more relaxed…she’s relinquished her parenting responsibilities to another adult for several hours every day. I’d be relaxed too. But more connected? How can a mom who is away from her child 5-7 hours each day feel more connected than when she spent every day with her child? That’s just not logical.

“But I chose homeschooling because I wanted my daughters to have their needs and wishes honored. When my oldest made it clear that she really wanted to be in school, I honored that wish.”

Not all the needs and wishes of a 5-year old should be honored. Five year olds have many needs and wishes that, if honored, would endanger their lives.

“Sharing the work of caring for and educating my child let me relax and enjoy her more.”

Again….I would relax more if I chose to share the everyday care of my children with someone else, too! But, homeschooling has not diminished my enjoyment of my children one iota. We play games and read books. We have fun together. In fact, because my children’s “school day” is so much shorter than what it would be in public school, I would venture a guess that we have more time to enjoy each other’s company than Sierra could ever hope for.

“Freed from the need to safeguard her education...I could let loose and play with her more.”

I hope to never to be free from the need to safeguard my children’s education. A child’s education prepares him for life…if a parent doesn’t safeguard this critically important phase of a child’s life, who will? There is much in this world that children need to be protected from. No school or teacher will ever be as invested in my child’s well-being as I am. Placing unswerving confidence in an “institution” as caregiver is, in my opinion, foolishness.

Next, Sierra quotes another “enlightened” almost-homeschooler:

“I have flirted over the years with home schooling. I decided that neither I nor my boys would thrive with that much of each other. And I couldn’t get past the blurring of roles — as a parent I am the unconditional support section, yet a teacher needs to critique and judge.”

What has happened in our culture that it’s okay to believe that a mother and her children will be better off outside of each other’s company? And how does a person come to believe that it is undesirable for a parent to provide both unconditional support AND discipline in their children’s lives? Does this woman really believe that a parent can only provide one or the other? That makes me very sad for her children.

“It’s not my job alone to make them socially acceptable, responsible, educated humans. I can let their rough edges stay rough without worry. The school is doing more than enough to smooth them out.”

It IS my job alone to raise socially acceptable, responsible, human beings. Period. No teacher should be expected to take on the job of raising your children for, or with, you! Educate? Yes, if that’s your choice. But raise? This thinking strikes at the very core of what it means to be a parent. No one else loves my child like I do. No one else is as invested in his future as I am. It IS my job...and my privilege.

Oh, and the part about school being the place where a child's rough edges get smoothed out...yeah, right. An unattributed quote comes to mind. "I've seen the village. And I don't want it raising my child."

“Being my kids’ teacher was a lot of fun, but I like just being their mom better. Let their teachers write the progress reports. Let me just love them. It’s a much more satisfying division of labor.

Being my kids’ teacher is a lot of fun. And I love being their mom. The two do not have to be mutually exclusive. I’m happy to write their progress reports AND love them. I’ll take the whole package. It’s a VERY satisfying labor of love!!