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Exactly why it's a bad idea, but I doubt you will see that.
Both ways? What does that even mean?
A program that helps many people is a bad idea because you are worried about being judged? Does that seem a little self involved to you?
As for both ways, you want to not participate in a program while avoiding being labeled as non-participatory. That is wanting to have things both ways (both YOUR way actually).
A program that reaches out to some will always be seen as invasive to others, who are you to decide that something is a "bad idea" just because you do not want to be involved? Personally, I would not want to participate either but I am not so selfish to deny such a program to others who may benefit from it. For many, many parents it is not a "bad idea" but may actually help them participate in the school when before they could not.
I took my kids out of the "nanny state" pubic school system years ago.
Not everyone is fortunate enough to afford private education so not everyone has the option of removing their kids from the "nanny state" school system.
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It is not appropriate for the government to be evaluating anyone's home for any reason. Just because someone consents to it, that does not make it right. Someone can consent to something that is wrong, but it is still wrong.
You said in a previous post that your husband and yourself are the ones that get to decide when it comes to things related to your family but then you go on to declare families that decide to allow a teacher visit to be "wrong." I don't get that.
I'm all for people making their own decisions about things but calling those who welcome the teacher visit "wrong" means there's a right answer and there isn't. Some will welcome the idea of having a cup of coffee with the teacher and a short chat. I don't see anything wrong with either choice.
I'm not sure how I feel about this idea. If I did agree to let parents come to my home, I don't think I'd mind at all but they would have to come a couple at a time because I have a small place. They'd also have to not be allergic to my cat.
I had never heard of this home visit thing before this thread and typically don't make off the cuff, immediate decisions about whether I agree with something or not until I at least have time to think it through. I don't know what to think about this. I'm still in the "Wow, this is done?" stage.
I do think that home visits could skew one's perception on either side. A teacher visiting a wealthy student's home may label the kid "spoiled" or whatever based on what they see. That's not evaluating whether the home is fit or not but it is a picture they will carry with them if they think that way.
If another child lives in an overcrowded apartment with few luxuries and does well, the teacher may favor them because they are overcoming more obstacles in school than the "one who has everything handed to them."
There may be homes with shabby furniture and no matching set of drinking cups. Will the teacher cut that kid more slack then one who lives in a nicer home? It's impossible to know that since it depends on the individual teacher.
The more I type, the more I think the school should be the meeting ground for these type things but I can definitely understand some parents welcoming the teacher to drop in for a chat.
Not everyone is fortunate enough to afford private education so not everyone has the option of removing their kids from the "nanny state" school system.
When something is important to you then you make it happen.
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Originally Posted by cleasach
You said in a previous post that your husband and yourself are the ones that get to decide when it comes to things related to your family but then you go on to declare families that decide to allow a teacher visit to be "wrong." I don't get that.
I'm all for people making their own decisions about things but calling those who welcome the teacher visit "wrong" means there's a right answer and there isn't. Some will welcome the idea of having a cup of coffee with the teacher and a short chat. I don't see anything wrong with either choice.
It's not that the people who would decide to participate are wrong. It is wrong for the government to come into a private residence without a warrant. It is a matter of right and wrong wrt the government, not the individuals involved.
I hope that clarifies my thoughts on the matter.
As a teacher I would not want to be forced to go to a student's home. Since I feel it is wrong for the school to ask me to go there I would feel very uncomfortable about it.
Of course, teachers are human and form opinions. The fact is that home issues do have an effect on the child and his learning. OTOH, teachers are less likely to be judgmental when they actually get a chance to meet the parents and family in a less threatening way. So many parents will not come to school to meet teachers because they had bad experiences with school themselves. This is a chance to break that cycle. I would love it if every parent could come to school for parent conferences and meet the teacher nights. The fact is that the ones that teachers most need to see do NOT come to these functions. We need to reach out to these parents in some way.
Then make it a "meet the teacher NIGHT. All school conferences are held in the daytime in our area. The parents that don't come are....those who....work?" You expect parents to comprimise their jobs to meet you, but you can't do the same for them....
Then make it a "meet the teacher NIGHT. All school conferences are held in the daytime in our area. The parents that don't come are....those who....work?" You expect parents to comprimise their jobs to meet you, but you can't do the same for them....
Our meet the teacher nights were all held after 7 pm. That does not mean that parents will come.
In every school I worked in parent-teacher conferences where scheduled both during the day and in the evening.
What I think some people here don't understand (because face it, we are mostly middle class and not living in poverty here), is that there are many reasons why parents cannot or will not come to school for meetings, but that does not mean that they are not caring parents.
The parents may have had their own bad school experiences, so they don't want to come to school because they are afraid they will hear only bad things about their own child.
The parents may have problems getting to the school if they have more than one child to care for and no one to keep them during the conference. They may not have a car or be able to walk or take the bus that far depending on where they live and where the school is.
They may have financial worries and not be able to take time off from a job.
They may have real cultural differences from the teachers and thus feel uncomfortable about coming into the school.
In some ways meeting the parents on their home ground is a way to build trust.
A program that helps many people is a bad idea because you are worried about being judged? Does that seem a little self involved to you?
As for both ways, you want to not participate in a program while avoiding being labeled as non-participatory. That is wanting to have things both ways (both YOUR way actually).
A program that reaches out to some will always be seen as invasive to others, who are you to decide that something is a "bad idea" just because you do not want to be involved? Personally, I would not want to participate either but I am not so selfish to deny such a program to others who may benefit from it. For many, many parents it is not a "bad idea" but may actually help them participate in the school when before they could not.
Non-participatory and uncooperative are not quite the same thing.
I suspect that this program is more widely used in areas of large diversity were one or more groups is under performing. Many ethnic groups have different language or cultural issues and do not typically participate in things like back to school night, because they may feel embarrassed, do not have transportation or there are issue with jobs. Meeting in the home is much more accepted in other cultures (as it is in Asia and Latino cultures) than it is in our culture. School is the best leveling ground and place to bring children in to the mainstream "culture" and visiting the home can help bridge that cultural gap for many.
I know in Asia teachers regularly visit the homes of students and even join families for dinner. It actually wasn't that long ago that having the teacher for dinner was the norm in this country.
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