It doesn’t matter if you have a child in school or not, you likely have an opinion about the entire school system. For some people, it is the best choice because it gives their children an opportunity in life that they would not otherwise have. For others, they tend to look at the entire school system with a lot of skepticism. They may even dislike a lot of what they see going on behind closed doors, and sometimes they may be quite right. In any case, they have a right to have an opinion because their children are at stake.
Something that many people are aware of is the fact that the American educational system is lacking. At one time, it was considered to be the best in the world but now, it is falling behind many other nations in a wide variety of categories. Not only can parents see it, the teachers can certainly see what is going on. That is what prompted one teacher to write a letter to their local newspaper and give her opinion. What she ended up saying is causing many people to applaud her words and to agree wholeheartedly.
She wrote:
“As a retired teacher, I am sick of people who know nothing about public schools or have not been in a classroom recently deciding how to fix our education system.
The teachers are not the problem! Parents are the problem! They are not teaching their children manners, respect or even general knowledge of how to get along with others.
The children come to school in shoes that cost more than the teacher’s entire outfit, but have no pencil or paper. Who provides them? The teachers often provide them out of their own pockets.
When you look at schools that are “failing,” look at the parents and students. Do parents come to parent nights? Do they talk with teachers regularly? Do they make sure their children are prepared by having the necessary supplies? Do they make sure their children do their homework?
Do they have working telephone numbers? Do the students take notes in class? Do they do their homework? Do the students listen in class, or are they the sources of class disruptions?
When you look at these factors, you will see that it is not schools that are failing but the parents. Teachers cannot do their jobs and the parents’ job. Until parent step up and do their job, nothing is going to get better!”