In defense of parents
by Ron Whitehorne on Apr 27 2010
Some teachers, rightfully angry over being blamed by politicians, the media, and self-appointed education reformers for the failures of inner city schools, turn around and scapegoat parents, or more specifically, poor parents of color.
Parents often take a beating on the Notebook blog. Here’s one extreme examplefrom a teacher frustrated with poor attendance at report card conferences:
“Parents should be required to show up in the auditorium for report card day and then sent to the proper classroom at the proper scheduled time. If they don't show expel the child. There will be no increase in parental involvement until the district gets some backbone. No cousins, older siblings, it must be one of the two parents or whomever has custodial control (grandparent, foster parent). The district would never allow such slipshod behavior from teachers so why do they accept it from parents?”
Here we have in extreme form two common ideas:
- We need punitive measures aimed at parents who do not meet the school’s expectations – in this case even if the student is the one who is punished.
- Teachers are held accountable, why aren’t parents?
Blogger Chris Paslay’s recent op-ed piece in the Inquirer sounds the same theme in a more nuanced way. Paslay writes:
“Oddly enough, though, it's considered poor etiquette to hold parents and students accountable. The accountability police aren't allowed to stop at their houses - nor at those of ineffective community leaders, deadbeat fathers, out-of-touch policymakers, or any of the other people responsible for a child's schooling.”
Like any teacher I have my share of stories about irresponsible parents, but in two
