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Parents' Job II

Submitted by Ken Slentz, Aug 1, 2007 17:17

Ms. Ravitch - I read with great interest your article on Parent's Job II and feel that, while many of your points are thoughtful and thought provoking, I believe you are sending the wrong message - one that pits parents against the school and teachers in particular. I wonder if you are aware that we in the schools are dealing with single parents that have limited time and resources because the state is ever increasing the taxes required for home ownership and car ownership. We are also dealing with parents who are themselves uneducated but who are doing the best they can with their children and are relying on us as trained professionals to do more than they can. I work with some truly gifted and giving colleagues who take the kids to which you refer and transform them on a daily basis. I also work with a (very) few colleagues who state, "it is my job to teach and it is their job to learn" as if the children have the experience to change their habits that have been molded from even the best of parents. Instead, perhaps an article that focuses on the kids and not on the adults, on learning instead of teaching, and on building bridges instead of walls would be more beneficial to all. We want parents to tell us that they don't know what to do to get their kids more motivated and we want to be able to tell parents that "we need your help and here are some suggestions". I fear that your article isn't fully cognizant of what kids really need to see - the adults in their world working from every angle to provide them with opportunities to learn. If this sounds utopian, I invite you to come to our high needs, rural school district and watch it work. It is not easy, we do not reach all kids, we do not have a well paid staff and we have three administrators for 900 kids, but we make it happen.

I wish you well in your research and look forward to reaching one more student in the year ahead.

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Other reader comments on this article

Comment	By	Date
If some children are apathetic, it's because in the age of technology, schools seems obsolete. Kids sit in classrooms learning... [MORE]	Tony S	Aug 3, 2007 00:51
What is the purpose of education? I've always thought to better society as a whole. Then, given the current structure... [MORE]	Brian	Aug 2, 2007 15:27
Brian, I agree 100%. I am middle aged and studying to become a teacher. The number of students who care... [MORE]	Rollie	Oct 20, 2007 10:17
Blaming the problems in the US on teachers and administrators does little good. After spending 16 years as a high... [MORE]	Frank Johnson	Aug 2, 2007 14:14
This article says: "Almost everything that students need to do differently takes place at home. None of it costs an additional... [MORE]	Jed Rothwell	Aug 2, 2007 13:20
Instruction in English must come first. If an American child living on an American base in germany were to apply... [MORE]	John Schuh	Aug 3, 2007 00:45
John Schuh asks: "My question is, however: How effective is the ESOL program [Rothwell] supports?" If the ESOL program is not... [MORE]	Jed Rothwell	Aug 4, 2007 17:40
That all the issues raised here are legitimate does not address the problem. After so many generations of increasingly bad... [MORE]	james wilson	Aug 2, 2007 11:29
You are right about not blaming the teachers. The unions, however, are obvious targets. Unlike the teachers, they do not... [MORE]	Gil Reeser	Aug 1, 2007 22:06
Diane Ravitch: "Until we as a society begin to recognize that students and parents must take responsibility for the part... [MORE]	Tom Shuford	Aug 1, 2007 18:41
It is indeed sad to read an opinion piece by such a respected education commentor as Diane Ravich that is... [MORE]	Betsy Combier	Aug 1, 2007 17:51
Diane Ravitch and classroom teacher David R. are right: scapegoating teachers while satisfying will not resolve America's educational crisis... [MORE]	Richard "Ricardo" Munro	Aug 1, 2007 17:26
Ms. Ravitch - I read with great interest your article on Parent's Job II and feel that, while many of...	Ken Slentz	Aug 1, 2007 17:17
I agree we should not scapegoat teachers - there are many good teachers. But we should also not lay the... [MORE]	Debbie Smith	Aug 1, 2007 13:49
Some major civil rights leaders seem to agree: Rosa Parks: "I do not question so much how to make the schools... [MORE]	Richard	Aug 1, 2007 10:58
When you become a mother, your hopes are of having a normal child with ten toes and ten fingers and... [MORE]	Marie Ribaudo	Aug 1, 2007 09:54
Ms. Ribaudo expresses a very important truth, but one we don't want to deal with. As our nation has grown... [MORE]	T Mulligan	Aug 2, 2007 11:44

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Parents' Job II