TEACHERS SPEAK OUT ON PARENTS' ROLE IN CHILD'S SUCCESS
"What can America's parents do to help their children succeed in school?"
"Stay involved in their education, don't `lose interest' just `cause they are now in high
school. Know what they study, when they study, and make sure they have the time to
study and a quiet place."
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"As far as what to do to help them, teach them to think for themselves, to be life
learners, model for them, read with them, be with them. Too many busy parents have
shuffled off time to be better wage earners and have given up an unbearable price that
they don't realize they are paying. Granted, Susy may have the best dance teacher
and the hottest new outfits, but if it means her time with mom and dad is down to an
hour and a half a day at best, ultimately it isn't worth it. To help their children suc-
ceed, school can no longer be looked at as a place to dump their kids and forget about
them for the day, hoping against hope that the school is doing what is supposed to do.
To help them succeed they need to really be looking for opportunities to be with them
as a support, not as an absent parent."
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"Care for them! Provide them with values, not things. Equally important would be
to punish bad behavior--it is not always the other kid's fault, or the school's fault, or
the teacher's fault. I am really tired of hearing "My child doesn't do that," when a
quick check of a cumulative file will show that the child has been doing exactly that
for years."
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"More contact time with their children spent in conversation. Less mindless TV and
more PBS. Trips to museums on occasion. Recognition of teachers as allies working
on the same hopes and dreams which parents have; the education of their children."
"Take an active interest in their children's education. Make it very clear that educa-
tion is a high priority in the household. When problems arise, do not blame the
school, teachers, or administrators, but instead discuss the problem intelligently with
school officials and make joint decisions as to how best to resolve the problems."
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"(I'm writing this as a parent myself): parents need to be PRESENT. Within the
modern U.S. context, to me this means that we need to be involved in the nitty-grit-
ty, keeping our children well-fed and healthy, checking up on homework every day,
helping them with time management, providing opportunities for them to engage in
supplementary classes, exposing them to various cultural experiences and viewpoints,
talking with them . . . And, when we can't individually do all the above, working
together with relatives and friends to give them the benefits of the extended family
(the greater "village") to do so."
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". . . If parents would quit criticizing schools in front of their kids, show more respect
for teachers, show more interest and concern about what their kids are learning, and
encourage their kids to take education seriously, then I think we would see a great
improvement in our children's education. . ."
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