Concerned about your child's education? Why not get some solutions from the horse's mouth?
Teachers . . .
If you listen without judgment and with your child's best interest in mind, they can tell you a lot. And remember, they are not the enemy. What? You think they went into teaching for the power, fame, glory, and prestige of it all? No. They do it because they love teaching and they love your children. Help them by listening to what they have to say below. This is a compilation of thought from experienced teachers from several states.
But if we really want to improve education, we may turn to another source . . .
Students.
What's wrong with the system? Since they are on the receiving end, you'd be amazed what they can tell you. Maybe adults too far removed from the process in experience and in mind (PhDs over-thinking with impractical theory) don't really get it.
Why we've stopped listening and supporting teachers and never really gone to the source in asking students what's wrong may just be two of the most important steps we can take in improving education.
So take a listen at this juncture to at least hear what one half of the solution has to say, won't you?
What Your Child's Teacher Won't Tell You1. My first year
of teaching, a fifth-grader actually threw a chair at me. I saw him
recently, and he told me he just graduated from college.
That's what makes it all worthwhile.
2. I have parents who are CEOs of their own companies come in and
tell me how to run my classroom. I would never think to go to their
office and tell them how to do their jobs.
3. We don't arrive at school 10 minutes before your child does. And
we don't leave the minute they get back on the bus. Many of us put
in extra hours before and after school.
4. We are not the enemy. Parents and teachers really are
on the same side.
5. The truth is simple: Your kid will lie to get out of
trouble.
6. Encourage your child to keep reading. That's key to success in
the classroom at any age.
7. We can tell the difference between a parent helping their child
with homework and doing it for them (especially when they're
clueless in class the next day).
8. Teaching is a calling. There's not a teacher alive who will say
she went into this for the money.
9. Just because your child says he did his homework doesn't mean
it's true. You must check. Every night.
10. Teaching is not as joyful as it once was for many of us; we get
jaded too. Disrespectful students and belligerent parents take a
toll on us.
11. Parents give their kids the pricey gadgets and labels, but what
kids really crave is for you to talk to them. They want to know you
are interested in their lives.
12. We spend money out of our own pockets to buy things our
students need, such as school supplies and even shoes.
13. Supportive, involved parents are crucial. But some are
"helicopter parents"--they hover too much.
14. Having the summer off is great, but many of us have to take on
extra jobs--teaching summer school, tutoring--to make ends
meet.
15. Success is not achieved by just making kids memorize flash
cards and prepping them for an Ivy League school. Sensible parents
know there is a college for every kid, and that responsibility and
good citizenship are what really drive success.
16. Nobody says "the dog ate my homework" anymore, but we hear a
lot of "I left it on the kitchen table." And then Mom will send in
a note to back up the story.
17. We wish parents would make their kids own up to their actions
instead of pressuring
us to bend the rules.
18. Please stop doing everything for your child and allow them to
make mistakes. How else will they learn? Kids are not motivated to
succeed because they feel their parents will bail them out every
time.
19. There are days when I just want to quit, but then that one
smile from that one kid, changes it all.
Sources: American Federation of Teachers; interviews with
elementary and middle school teachers in California, Connecticut,
Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, New York, and Texas.
Adapted from interviews with teachers by Neena Samuel
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