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Reader comment on:
Parents' Job II
in response to reader comment: Raising a normal child in a perfect world

Submitted by T Mulligan, Aug 2, 2007 11:44

Ms. Ribaudo expresses a very important truth, but one we don't want to deal with. As our nation has grown prosperous, the hunger of our students for learning seems to have diminished. This is a reflection of our culture and a belief that things should be easy. So there is a single mother who has to work--life's tough. Until that single mother realizes she is a mother first, the education of her children will be a random thing at best. Parents need to do their job if they expect techers to be able to do theirs. If the doctor said: "give your kid one pill a day", but the mother only got around to it twice a week because she was working, would we say she was a good mother? No. So if the teacher says: "Jonny needs to read every night", but mom and dad are too busy, is it a shocker that Jonny can't read? Good parenting is not related to economic status, it is a matter of choices. As a teacher I'd be happy to move to any merit pay system if there were consequences for crappy parents too. (why not start by making the parents pay for Jonny to make up the classes he failed because he didn't attend) Look at it this way: nobody blames a doctor whose patient ignores his orders and then dies; nobody blames the accountant whose client ignores his advice and gets audited. Part of the problem is that parents often don't see the advice a teacher gives regarding the education of their child as significant.

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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... [MORE]	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...	T Mulligan	Aug 2, 2007 11:44

Reader comment on:Parents' Job IIin response to reader comment: Raising a normal child in a perfect world

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Reader comment on:
Parents' Job II
in response to reader comment: Raising a normal child in a perfect world