It Takes Parenting to Raise a High School Graduate

There are three groups critical to a school’s academic performance: students; teachers; and parents. Why is only one group being held accountable?

In this never ending debate over schools and accountability, we have students who will do no work, and parents who will take no responsibility; where is the mention of these and other issues such as student misconduct and parents bringing lawyers to school in order to evade accountability?

Public schools are about the task of education: not to help raise children; not to teach manners or social deportment; not infant daycare; not a path to the NFL, NHL, MLB or NBA; the task is to learn the material at hand.

The intent of imposing accountability is not to suspend elementary students who comment that their teacher is “cute.” Nor is it to punish students who are clearly defending themselves. The viral video from last March of the chubby youngster being picked on and suddenly grabbing hold of his tormentor and slamming him down ought to draw applause not a suspension. Yet inane administrators who clearly have no taste for leadership will condemn the victim; pardon me but this is cowardice. If the schools are to serve the needs of our young people, we need education leaders who are warriors, not politicians.

Teachers make a significant investment in order to qualify for certification. A teacher’s personal life is subject to review and scrutiny. The amount of academic preparation teachers have to make is a factor in private firms recruiting teachers away from the classroom. America wants better teachers; guess what, we already have them and if parents haven’t noticed that, it’s because they’re too exhausted, disengaged or self-absorbed.

Parenting is full-time hard work and if you’re too wrung out after working two jobs, I can relate because I have been there; but you have to do something. Look into the PTA, there’s strength in numbers and as a one-time PTA President I can assure you that the PTA wants to help.

Young children, tweens, and adolescents may only shoulder a part of the blame. Teenagers: test limits; become insolent; act out; lie to your face; and display poor judgment. They’re supposed to, it’s not personal, it’s part of growing up; that doesn’t however mean parents or teachers should take insolence from fourteen year olds. Teens want parenting, leadership, and limits; set and enforce them.

Parenting will teach things that education courses and classroom experience simply cannot. Teachers are human beings like everyone else; we simply can’t expect them to know every nuance about children. So I’m sorry high school teachers; you may have… fourteen years in the classroom, but until you’ve parented three children through those adolescent years to adulthood, you can’t know everything. Parents, your children and their teachers need you.

Political correctness has played a large role in the decayed state of education, and I for one am fed up with it. It has long ceased to be an agent for progressive change and is now a chancrous harpy used by people deflecting attention from their own inadequacy.

Parents, you’re the ones the administrators cower before; you have selfishly abused this power.

Parents if you want to see the person responsible for the state of education in America, go no farther than the closest mirror. It’s not the teachers, it’s you; the politicians know there’s no percentage in telling you that; teachers and administrators know it’s death to tell you that; so I’m telling you straight out; Sue and Johnny are functionally illiterate because your parenting stinks.

Reach out and cooperate with your child’s teachers and you’ll be bowled over with the support and cooperation you’ll get.

America is in a war of achievement -and we’re losing. Wake up people, teachers bring an array of hard earned qualifications to the table, it’s time students and parents stepped up.


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