Improving Our Children's Education
- Thread starter BISON-2K1
- Start date
Vinita
Let's Go Lions, GO!
Good Question!
The answer is many fold.
1. Classrooms need to be led by teachers who give a crap whether or not their students learn anything, not these fly by night job seekers who only want to teach so they can be off in the summers, or decide they want to teach because they can't seem to find anything else to do. Teaching is hard work and low pay, and if you don't love it and the chirren, then please keep your app in your damned HAND!
2. Parents need to be interested and involved without becoming overbearing, or trying to tell the professional what to do in the classroom. I had a parent once, who was a doctor, trying to tell me how to teach my high school English class. I was like, "when I come in your office and make accurate diagnoses, then you can tell me what works with my students. Until then, your best bet would be to tell me how I might, in your opinion, best reach YOUR CHILD. (Yeah, my boss was in the room with me. She knows I don't bite my tongue with the over-indulgent, enabling parents).
3. Communication is KEY! I have a lot of co-workers who don't (or won't) call parents. I always call whenever there is a problem in class, or a drop in behavior. Parents can give a lot of insight into what's going on in a child's life. Children have not learned to leave the excess baggage at home. I also call when they are doing well, or have made an improvement, because parents like to hear good things, too.
Of course, if we stopped placing so much emphasis on standardized test readiness, that might help, too.
The answer is many fold.
1. Classrooms need to be led by teachers who give a crap whether or not their students learn anything, not these fly by night job seekers who only want to teach so they can be off in the summers, or decide they want to teach because they can't seem to find anything else to do. Teaching is hard work and low pay, and if you don't love it and the chirren, then please keep your app in your damned HAND!
2. Parents need to be interested and involved without becoming overbearing, or trying to tell the professional what to do in the classroom. I had a parent once, who was a doctor, trying to tell me how to teach my high school English class. I was like, "when I come in your office and make accurate diagnoses, then you can tell me what works with my students. Until then, your best bet would be to tell me how I might, in your opinion, best reach YOUR CHILD. (Yeah, my boss was in the room with me. She knows I don't bite my tongue with the over-indulgent, enabling parents).
3. Communication is KEY! I have a lot of co-workers who don't (or won't) call parents. I always call whenever there is a problem in class, or a drop in behavior. Parents can give a lot of insight into what's going on in a child's life. Children have not learned to leave the excess baggage at home. I also call when they are doing well, or have made an improvement, because parents like to hear good things, too.
Of course, if we stopped placing so much emphasis on standardized test readiness, that might help, too.
JSTUS
THE WARHORSES!!!
Parental involvement has a lot to do with it. It may not be the #1 reason though. By parental involvement I mean that I think all children must be home-schooled to a certain degree. This starts at conception. Reading to the unborn child is important. Not talking "baby talk" with a child is important. A person's vocabulary grows by what they hear. Notice when a child is around a lot of profanity they retain that. In that same way a child can attain an extensive vocabulary if that is what they are exposed to. Child should be taught to read at home, instead of waiting for the school to teach them. They retain rap songs if that's what they hear constantly. Repeatedly work with numbers with them and they will retain that. Many educational enhancing tools are available at home, if parents would take advantage of them. Just like in The Color Purple, Whoopi Goldberg learned to read and spell by just having words taped on objects. I can go on and on.
Bengal E
Active Member
Two great posts... I have to agree with both. As I just finished reading an e-mail from my son's teacher (he's doing much better) I agree that communication is key. If you don't know what's going on have an interest in it, they're doomed.
And like Jstus said, concern of your child's education begins at conception. But remember it's never too late to make a difference. Gotta run now, but it's a good subject. will return.
And like Jstus said, concern of your child's education begins at conception. But remember it's never too late to make a difference. Gotta run now, but it's a good subject. will return.
