C H A P T E R 5 :
NAVIGATING PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
59
Competing Voices
"Provide and present the information to the child. Help them to understand
what is being taught. It is not the teacher's job to teach a child manners and
respect. That's my job as a parent." (Mother of 12th grade girl)
~
"Teachers can do more to see that the children respect each other, and in
turn the children will respect themselves. They must fully understand the
concept that when children tease and name call, they are forever changing
those they hurt." (Mother of 1st grade boy)
Overview
Despite the finding that many students, parents and teachers are concerned with the
issue of people getting along well with each other, they do not think that schools are
doing a good job of preparing students in this area. However, most teens today do
feel responsibility for having people get along with each other. In terms of getting
along with teachers, trust seems to be a serious issue among teens. Four in ten sec-
ondary school students have little or no trust of their teachers.
Getting Along Together
When asked for the most important issue facing America today, one-quarter of sec-
ondary school students (23%), parents (28%) and teachers (24%) say, "having people
get along with each other" (Exhibit 5.1). Among students this is the top response, and
for parents and teachers it is second only to "improving the quality of education in
schools."
