School authorities continually claim that they want more parent cooperation and participation in their children's education. They complain when parents don't show up for parent-teacher conferences or push their children to do their homework.
Yet this constant cry for parent cooperation is often a smoke screen pretense to make parents think they have some control over their children's education. In most cases, parents have no such control. Teachers and principals may placate parents or ask for their cooperation, but they rarely make the important changes parents ask for.
For example, most parents want their children to learn to do basic arithmetic without using calculators as a crutch. A poll by Public Agenda found that 86 percent of parents want students to learn arithmetic by hand before they use calculators. However, the math-teaching policy for most public schools today is that all children beginning in kindergarten have access to calculators at all times to do math problems.
Most school districts make important teaching-method or curriculum decisions in secret, without parents' knowledge or approval. A parent's only recourse is to complain to principals or school authorities after these authorities have dictated their curriculum or teaching methods, and the parent sees the damage to their children. Unfortunately, such complaints are often futile.
Most parents don't realize that school authorities don't want their opinion. Too often, school authorities ignore parents' suggestions or complaints because they truly believe they are the experts and parents are just annoying amateurs. As a result, some teachers, principals, or administrators feel insulted when parents make suggestions or complaints. Many school officials believe parents should not have any real input in their children's education. That is one reason why school authorities hold their committee meetings in secret.
Another reason is that school authorities fear that parents will complain about certain classes and curriculum subjects. For instance, many public schools have introduced classes and books about homosexuality into elementary and high-school sex-education classes. When parents find out about these classes, they frequently complain to the school principal and local politicians. To avoid these complaints, public schools often try to keep secret from parents what they teach in these sex-ed classes.
Moreover, teachers, principals, and school authorities don't have to listen to those amateur, irritating parents who complain that their kids can't read. Public-school employees get tenure after a few years. That means, in effect, that it's almost impossible to fire them, no matter how bad or even mediocre they are. If you couldn't be fired, would you care about parent's complaints? That's why they don't, and that's why public-school teachers or principals can be arrogant or indifferent to parent's legitimate complaints.
Parents, the solution is to stop hitting your head against the brick wall of arrogant public-school employees. Just walk around the wall and don't look back. That is, consider taking your children out of public school and find real education choice and control in the education free-market. Consider homeschooling or some of the many quality, low-cost, K-12 Internet private schools listed in the Resource section of "Public Schools, Public Menace."
Joel Turtel is an education policy analyst, and author of "Public Schools, Public Menace: How Public Schools Lie To Parents and Betray Our Children."
Contact Information:
Website: http://www.mykidsdeservebetter.com,
Email: http://www.mykidsdeservebetter.com,
Phone: 718-447-7348.
Article Copyrighted ? 2005 by Joel Turtel.
NOTE: You may post this Article on an Ezine, newsletter, or other website only if you include Joel Turtel's complete contact information, and set up a hyperlink to Joel Turtel's email address and website URL, http://www.mykidsdeservebetter.com
Along with eating healthier we need to be more active.... Read More
What do you do when your child begins talking to... Read More
It's no surprise that the self-image and self-esteem of overweight... Read More
Have you ever had this struggle with your teens? Did... Read More
Your child's first year of school should be a fun... Read More
Q: My husband and I are at a loss as... Read More
For the first year or two of life outside the... Read More
I remember when my daughter was born. Visions of her... Read More
Voices!So many voices crying out for adherence and so many... Read More
Maryann is so focused she's blind. She's slipped over the... Read More
Many young people don't know how to study efficiently and... Read More
One of the most prevalent problems of the computer age... Read More
How on earth can you help your family cope with... Read More
You have a chore to do around the house, and... Read More
Research published by University of Rochester neuroscientists C. Shawn Green... Read More
You have two kids who are 14 months apart. How... Read More
What makes parenting so challenging at times? One widespread research... Read More
Reading is the most important skill that a child must... Read More
Successful parents have learned to be both firm and kind... Read More
Most research into children's friendships shows that those children who... Read More
From the book Spider's Night on the BoomI've only begun... Read More
Here are fourteen spontaneous time-outs, specially designed to help you... Read More
'I felt great until I walked into the classroom -... Read More
There is a new stage of development for parents to... Read More
Being a single mother is no easy task. I know.... Read More
reliable maid service Glenview ...The first year of a child's life is the most... Read More
1. The Law of the BeastAs parents we need to... Read More
Many research studies have shown the overall effectiveness of stimulant... Read More
One reason public schools get away with educational failure, year... Read More
There are millions of young children in this country who... Read More
Parents are always looking for ways to open up the... Read More
Time devoted the better part of an issue to it.... Read More
Minus all meningitis thoughts. The flu symptons were strong. Headache,... Read More
A tall, weary-looking mother with glasses, walked into my counseling... Read More
Be sure to respect the intellectual changes that mark adolescence.... Read More
After giving up my profession to become a wife, a... Read More
It may seem obvious to many people why literacy is... Read More
I remember when my daughter was born, later my son.... Read More
Kitchens are where everything happens. It's not just where meals... Read More
It's no surprise that the self-image and self-esteem of overweight... Read More
Our children are growing up bilingual in the French part... Read More
I am a single mother of a 17 year old... Read More
What one word best sums up summer fun? Water. I... Read More
Recently, our family had the opportunity to care for sisters'... Read More
The distressed adolescent often has feelings of abandonment, emotional detachment,... Read More
Many reasons will cause some people to feel the need... Read More
The purpose of this article is to address some of... Read More
We all know that using cloth nappies is best for... Read More
Many companies advertise their products as being educational. How much... Read More
Here are some things that you can do to help... Read More
Parenting |