Just askin'. It seems way too many parents spurt'em out, but aren't willing to spend any time looking out for them afterwards. It always amused me during my teaching days that the only parents I ever saw were the parents I didn't need to see. Problem kids, the only time I saw their parents was if their parents stormed the school complaining about that mean Mr. Tux being mean to their darling little brat by sending the brat to the office for disrupting class...
And don't give me the bullshit about parents being busy, small kids at home, blah blah blah. There's aunts and uncles and neighborhood kids who can look after smaller kids, and if you can't re-arrange your schedule to have three or four evenings per school year off it's only because you don't care. And yeah, I know there are vicious employers who will fire you rather than allow you to go to a school event. But priorities, people. Priorities. If your child's education has less priority than a shift at Taco Bell, your child's education will have less quality than a taco from Taco Bell... and that's pretty damned scary, when you think about it.
-- Badtux the Former Teacher Penguin
Like when local government needs participation from residents for input or maybe to serve on commissions or boards-the stuff that makes things go round you won't see a soul but they'll come in droves to bitch and moan about getting picked on and it gets to be old shit real quick.
ReplyDeleteThis is part of the reason why the best predictor of a person's income level is his perents' income level.
ReplyDeleteI was president of the School board for the little Catholic School my kids went to in Toledo, way back when. There was a core group of parents you got to know from seeing them all the time.
And that was at a school that charged tuition. It's probably a whole lot worse at the public schools.
Cheers!
JzB the recovered catholic trombonist
Even when the parents are present they are often useless. I'm a museum director and I routinely have to tell kids - in the presence of their parents - to get off the exhibits.
ReplyDeleteImagine mom and dad paying no attention while junior climbs atop irreplaceable historical objects....
OneFly, some rabid Christianists captured the school board of one city I lived in, and irate parents ran them out at the next election by running for the school board themselves. Thing is, the parents only served one term in office and went home, and the Christianists... well, they're like rabid dogs, they just don't stop. Unfortunately when the only people who step up are rabid dogs, a government run by rabid dogs is what we get.
ReplyDeleteJazz, parental educational level is actually a slightly stronger predictor of future income. College professors don't make much money, on average, but their children (raised by very educated parents) tend to do quite well in life. When you consider that educated parents by definition value education, it makes sense.
Anon, those adults were present, but there were no parents at that museum, just adults who happened to spurt babies out some years before then never bothered doing that whole "parenting" bit. Far too common, alas.
- Badtux the Former Teacher Penguin