Dear Parents,
I have worked in Early Childhood Education for 13 + years. I find joy in helping others, especially children, I find my job to be honorable; I am leaving a lasting impression on the lives of my students in hopes that they will not only learn from the educational aspects of what I am teaching but that they see/feel the drive and passion that I have to make their futures brighter as well! I care about each and everyone of my students and (I feel ) that they care about me too (most of them) but I do have some questions for some of you parents...Over the last couple of years I have seen a shift, in regards to student behavior and parental involvement in schools. There have been many occurrences (in the past few years) that make me wonder what in THEE HELL is going on!? To the parents who know that their child(ren) have "issues" and don't tap into the FREE resources that will gladly assist, the parents who knowingly send their child to school when they are suspended, the parents who hears that their child tore up the classroom; flipped chairs etc. and say, "Oh...", parents who don't answer the phone because they're tired, the parents who violate and disrespect an adult whose job is to teach your child, the parents who encourage violence, the parents who have given up and or the parents who have renamed Education, "Daycare", we need to talk!!! As a parent and an educator, your child, unfortunately, is violating the civil liberties and when I say your child I mean YOU! Seeing that "Angel" is only in Kindergarten I can't assume that Sesame Street or Dora taught her to use profanity like a sailor or to disrespect adults- as if she has a job and just got off of work, I bet not ask her to have a seat! When a teacher has to stop his/her lesson to redirect your child's behavior, that is 15 minutes of learning not being taught, per 1 interruption. If there are multiple students causing interruptions to this magnitude- how much learning is being done in the classroom? EXACTLY! It's not fair to the educator who just wants to teach and pay back their student loans, it's not fair to the child(ren) in the classroom who are excited about school and learning. When we as adults encourage misbehavior, we are encouraging the diabolical disruption of order within education- what many individuals before us fought and died for us to have: The right to be educated. Education = freedom!!!! This is not meant to attack any one race or gender of people, more so I am simply asking that parents understand what is going on not only in the classroom but in the school and in the school districts. There is a major disconnect between parents and schools and the children are parading because they know it, they see it, the teacher can't do anything about it and YOU (the parent) won't do anything about it! I am exhausted with the disrespect from our children at my J.O.B. when I am there to HELP! So how can YOU help, well first let just say this: Parents you need to understand you are valuable, necessary and important! However, I am a firm believer in that, if you inconvenience the parent, the behavior will change! So I would like to take out this time to inconvenience you and ask that you:
1. Be present! We all get tired, I am tired for you but the fact of the matter is your child needs YOU more than they need me! Teachers can only do so much without the necessary parental support. Please focus on your child(ren), despite what is going on in your life (I know it's easier said then done) because it matters, your child's education is contingent upon it.
2. Answer the phone! Parents when you refuse to answer the phone, or do not call back, it not only lets the teacher know you don't care but more importantly it sends your child the message that you don't care. Statistics prove that student achievement increases when parental involvement is visible and or increases. Plain and simple your child could very well be failing in school because of YOU! Teachers have much more control and ability to turn the situation around when you are on the the same team and not being a spectator.
3. Do YOUR job! You are your child's parent, meaning a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian. I'ts not supposed to be easy, if it were easy - what would be the point!? Molding and shaping the lives of people happens overtime, environment and circumstances (good or bad) play a major roll in how it is done-do it anyway! #noexcuses. When you do your job, teachers and students can do their jobs too!
I said a lot I know, but please walk away from this blog with a new focus, if you know a child, family or parent in need of help, similar to the above described scenarios- remember, "It takes a village to raise a child" don't say it's not your problem because then YOU become the problem too! Start small, be a volunteer in a school near you, help your child's teacher, be visible in your child's education/classroom, go to parent teacher conferences, PARTICIPATE...it matters, it all matters! Believe me- I'm a teacher, I know!
