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Whomever thinks that teachers "don't care" obviously does not know many teachers. I can't think of a more caring group of people, on average, than teachers. Of all the teachers that I know (and I know alot) I can think of only one who I might consider putting in the "don't care" catagory. Even then he cares about the sports programs he coaches and this does have a great influence over the students.
As far as "bleeding the parents dry", the person who said this should see the receipts I keep every year for materials and other that I purchase out of my own pocket to keep my classroom going. These purchases do no just include pencils and paper for students who do not have any, last year they also included a pair of football cleats, a winter coat, a required reading book for English (I teach science), $50 toward the lunch fund for kids who don't qualify for CNP, but don't have lunch money. Because I teach in a title I school I can't charge a science fee so most of my lab supplies are purchased by me.
And just so you will know that I''m not "bleeding my parents dry", I pay for my own retirement, insurance, taxes, and I can only deduct $250 of the $1362.84 I spent last year on my students and my classroom.
And just so you will know that I''m not "bleeding my parents dry", I pay for my own retirement, insurance, taxes, and I can only deduct $250 of the $1362.84 I spent last year on my students and my classroom.
Seriously. As an active employee where I am, we pay $98/ month for individual healthcare coverage, $408 for a family. I know some will say, "Hey, that's still less than I have to pay", but we do contribute. It's not like it is fully paid for. And when one retires from our district, a retiree pays $544 a month for individual healthcare, $1360 per month for a family. Mini-family (employee and spouse) is somewhere between those two amounts.
I am a parent and a teacher. I feel like if all the parents could get together and do something then we could make a difference in all the cuts.
But here in Idaho at least it seems like the parents feel powerless and dont know what to do.
What could they do...and if they did there would be a lot of them
I know this has been addressed, but you just started a very contentious thread complete with numerous exclamation points entitled "Blame the Parents!!!" Now you want their support?
That's a good idea! The madness has to end somewhere! I was talking to a coworker the other night who said that she pays almost $200 dollars a year for her kids to ride the school bus! Yikes!
I know this has been addressed, but you just started a very contentious thread complete with numerous exclamation points entitled "Blame the Parents!!!" Now you want their support?
Not the OP but yes. There's no contradiction here. Of course you'd want the help of those who are to blame for the problem. In fact, you NEED their help to fix the problem. The people with the power are the ones who can effect change and the poeple with the power are the ones to blame when they don't use it appropriately.
Not the OP but yes. There's no contradiction here. Of course you'd want the help of those who are to blame for the problem. In fact, you NEED their help to fix the problem. The people with the power are the ones who can effect change and the poeple with the power are the ones to blame when they don't use it appropriately.
I got a good chuckle out of that. Have you never heard "you can catch more flies with honey"? And the parents are hardly "the people with power".
I got a good chuckle out of that. Have you never heard "you can catch more flies with honey"? And the parents are hardly "the people with power".
Parents are the people with power. They have the power to instill high regard for education in their children, they have the power to demand financial support for schools, they have the power to support their local schools, they have the power to intervene on behalf of their children from an early age, they determine whether their child's education starts at 1 or 5, they have the power to teach their children to respect teachers, they have the power to make sure their kids show up for school, get a good night's sleep, have a good breakfast and do their homework....etc, etc, etc...of all the people involved in children's educations, parents have, by far, the most power to effect change.
So, yes, parent are, simultaneously, the people to blame the most when education fails AND the people with the power to effect change. Think about it. You can't blame someone if they don't have the power to do something. You can only blame the person who actually has the power. As a parent, I have way more power than my children's teachers, schools and politicians. I wish I could say parental power is perfect and all a parent has to do is X, Y and Z to get great results but if you don't have the parents doing their job, it's unlikely the child is going to do well.
Whomever thinks that teachers "don't care" obviously does not know many teachers. I can't think of a more caring group of people, on average, than teachers.
IME teachers are neither saints who should be genuflected before, nor lazy sots who went into it for the cool summer vacations. They're pretty much like everybody else: some are brilliant, some are horrid. Most are decent people who want to do the best they can without killing themselves in the process.
Of course, I also think parents are basically decent people, too. Probably neither opinion will play well with everyone in this thread. It's too much fun complaining it's everyone else's fault.
IME teachers are neither saints who should be genuflected before, nor lazy sots who went into it for the cool summer vacations. They're pretty much like everybody else: some are brilliant, some are horrid. Most are decent people who want to do the best they can without killing themselves in the process.
I agree but it is hard to do this job if you don't care. I know more teachers that care too much than too little. I think it just comes with the trade.
4. attend as many school events as you possible can, even if your child is not a participant. There are many students whose parents are not able to attend because of work or other obligations or because they just don't care. Find out who these kids are and be their cheering section.
Just a comment on this one:
for those of us parents who are not schoolteachers, school is not an all-consuming part of our lives. I really don't feel a burning need to attend the girls' volleyball games just because Jennifer or Latasha's parents can't make it. That's a great pie-in-the-sky thought, but frankly, I have kids of my own who need my time and energy, and I have my other responsibilities, and the time I don't spend on either of those I really don't want to spend with anybody's children.
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The people with the power are the ones who can effect change and the poeple with the power are the ones to blame when they don't use it appropriately.
