Rating teachers? Good idea? (Buffalo: schools, income, shop)

[birdinmigration]

On the other merged/closed thread, there were quite a few strong opinions for and against this notion. Here's mine:

I think instead of rating teachers, they should rate PARENTS. Questions could be asked like this:

1. Have YOU taught your child his/her ABCs?
2. Have you taught your child sex education?
3. Have you taught and modeled considerate, non-bullying behavior?
4. Have you taught your child to count, shop in a market, and make change?
5. Have you taught your child how to tell time?
6. If you are a non-native speaker of English, have you provided out-of-school opportunities for your child to learn English, and are you working on doing so yourself?
7. If your child has a disability, learning difference or neurological challenge like autism, are you prepared to support the teacher in and out of the classroom?
8. If you wish your child to pray in school, have you instructed him/her on a fair, considerate way to do so, understanding cultural differences?
9. If you don't want your child to say the Pledge of Allegiance, have you instructed him/her on a non-disruptive, articulate way to opt out?
10. Do you provide enrichment experiences, including outdoor excursions, music and other arts, exposure to other languages and cultures, sciences, sports, 'different' foods, and knowledge of government systems?

If you can't answer yes to those 10 questions, then you as a parent should NOT be allowed to rate teachers, because you have failed your own child.

(disclosure: I am not a teacher, but I have seen for years teachers hung out to dry by parents who can't be bothered to parent. And this is not always in 'low-income' communities!)

[BuffaloTransplant]

(Disclosure: I am a retired teacher. )

Birdinmigration is pointing out things any caring and sensible parent would want to do for their child .

The parents who actually do sensible things like that are the same ones who join the PTA, volunteer for teachers and show up for parent conferences. In the almost 30 years I taught, I had many such parents and their wonderful kids.

The parent who does all the best for his/her child deserves an award.

[Cyclops99]

I agree that parents need to take a lot of the responsibility rather than merely blaming teachers. Teachers can only do so much.

[birdinmigration]

You are lucky, Buffalo, to have had many parents and kids like that. That's the ideal.

On the other hand, people screaming about "bad schools" and "bad teachers" should really look at the community as a whole. What are the values? What's the rate of parent volunteerism? I can practically guarantee that the perceived quality of the school acts in direct correlation to the expectations and commitment of parents, and the community as a whole.

I get really tired of "the schools" and teachers being blamed for things the parents failed to do for kids.

[Doobage]

I'm not a teacher or a parent, but I agree with your post, birdinmigration. I have been a student, and I have seen the result of those failings in my peers...