[blparent] Parent report cards?

[Bridgit Pollpeter]

At first thought, this seems like a good idea to involve parents and
make academics interactive in the home. However, after further
inspection, it tenuously balances on a very, very fine thread.

As Jo Elizabeth states, the potential problems and fall-out become
larger than the positives. In the defense of our government and school
systems, they are attempting to address the education issues in this
country. In recent years, we have fallen way behind academically
compared to other countries meaning more American children are
under-educated including, but not limited too, reading comprehension,
math and science skills, motor and verbal skills and written
communication skills. However, the "reforms" often proposed are mere
band-aids not treating beyond the surface of the wound.

As people who are blind, we know how lacking our current education
system can be. When viewed from a larger lens, the problems grown more
and more. It's a complicated issue riddled with intricacies.

For years, America has been more socialist than democratic. Government
mandates have obviously not helped the education system anymore, and as
No Child Left Behind has proved, its involvement can have adverse
affects as well.

There are so many variables going into an equation like this beginning
with all children learn in different ways and at different paces. So
what's the measuring stick? If a child brings home C's, what are the
determining factors for deciding the "why" in this equation? Are the
parents not invested in their child's education therefore leaving the
child to not invest? Does the child have mild learning disabilities not
yet recognized? Is the child independently flip about grades despite
parental involvement? Is the teacher not creating a stimulating
environment in which to learn, or are they not teaching in a style best
suited for that particular child? There's no straight black-and-white
answer, and as you can see, it's a deeply complex issue that can't be
pigeon-holed into one category over another.

And if the parents are to be graded, do parents get to grade teachers?
This seems fair. I have deep respect for educators, and my mom has
taught in both private and public schools, but not all teachers are
great, and many just can't handle the modern demands placed on most
teachers these days. To grade but one aspect seems equally unfair to the
student. All involved should be held accountable.

Who's to say failing grades aren't to be connected to a teacher in some
shape and form? Why are the parents automatically assumed to be the
culprit? Again, a very complex problem that leads to inevitable rabbit
trails. To direct the focus in a single direction does not seem to be
the answer. Perhaps, instead of "grading" parents, have mandatory parent
meetings with teachers to go deeper than what is often discussed during
parent/teacher meetings? Create an environment in which parents are
learning along with students. There are many ways in which to foster
awareness. A grading system seems to point to potential ramifications
that will just tangle the nest more than it is now. What seems like a
good idea in theory just will not work out in practice; much like
communism, fad diets & get-rich quick schemes.

And as blind people have witnessed, at what point does an idea like this
turn into policing? When do we see children no longer benefiting from
such programs, if they do at all, instead suffering at the hands of a
government believing they have the answers? At what point do parents
lose all rights? I believe in pursuing academics and striving for
academic excellence, but on the flip side of the same coin, our kids are
our kids. Within reason, we should be able to raise them as we see fit.
I say within reason because obviously this can enter dangerous territory
too, but honestly, how far are we from assimilating into the ideals
resembling countries like Russia, China and other socialist or communist
countries? When a governed people lose the right to say yes or no to
things, I begin to question this. Anarchy is not a solution, but neither
is a police state. This may sound extreme, but what exactly is happening
when parents are told to do something, it's demanded and no options are
allowed? It's not up to our government or education system to determine
why a child fails or succeeds by targeting parents in any shape or form.
There are other ways to bring awareness and a sense of involvement to
the parent/student relationship that fosters and encourages interactive
activism in education.

Sincerely,
Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
Read my blog at:
http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/
 
"History is not what happened; history is what was written down."
The Expected One- Kathleen McGowan

Message: 1
Date: Thu, 3 May 2012 11:33:08 -0600
From: "Jo Elizabeth Pinto" <jopinto at msn.com>
To: "NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Subject: [blparent] Parent report cards?
Message-ID: <SNT116-DS60CD232B207942C310415AC2F0 at phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Who's judging whom? Parent report card proposal stirs debate

There's a movement afoot for teachers to start issuing report cards...
on parents! How would you feel about being graded by your child's
teacher? One Florida state lawmaker is proposing just that. NBC
Education Correspondent Rehema Ellis reported the story for TODAY, and
it got her thinking about her own parental participation.

 
NBC News Correspondent Rehema Ellis

By Rehema Ellis, NBC correspondent

As I researched this story, it made me think about my own family. I
asked myself, would I mind being graded as a parent?

All my son's life -- he's 8 years old now and in the second grade --
I've embraced the notion that my school days are starting anew. Of
course, the big difference now is that I'm in the teacher/tutor role. I
make him breakfast every morning and sit down with him. I read all the
school notices and frequently communicate with his teachers and the
school. There's a big payoff: I know how he's doing in school and his
report card has never been a surprise. (And I should add, he's doing
really well in school.) 

So, based on my involvement in my son's school life, I think I'd get a
pretty good parent report card. Still, I got to thinking: What kind of
grade would I get if I missed a few school notices or didn't check all
of his homework? It could happen, because as we all know parenting isn't
easy. Parents, especially those who work outside of the home, have long
days on the job, often exhausting commutes, and frequent challenges to
keep the house in order AND keep an eye on what's happening in their
child's school. 

Susan Rayburn, the principal at Lincoln Elementary School in Plant City,
Fla., told me that grading could jump-start involvement from parents who
are not actively engaged in their child's education. But she also
cautioned that if not handled properly, the parent report card could be
a turnoff. Some parents could feel intimidated, she said. If the bill
passes in the Florida legislature, Rayburn said she hopes teachers use
the parent report card "as a tool for partnership versus a 'gotcha.' " 

She makes a great point. After all, the ultimate goal is to help
children do better in school. If the parent report card is used, as she
says, to "showcase what parents are doing and then help bridge that gap
for what they are not doing," everyone's grades would improve ... kids
AND parents.


I read the article online and decided to post it for an idea to chew on.

Personally, I think the idea sucks rocks.  Most parents, including me,
are hard enough on themselves, and now to be judged by teachers as well?
No thanks!

The idea is also dangerous, in my opinion.  If teachers start issuing
report cards based on parental involvement and student progress, the
next step is for the government to take action against the parents that
don't, in the opinion of teachers, measure up.  What happens to the
parents who don't pass?  Or the average ones who get C's?  Will the
government have the right to step in and force them to improve their
"grades"?  Bad idea.

I do believe parents should be involved with the education of their
children, and I don't believe it's all up to the teachers.  My sister
teaches in public school, and I've heard the stories about hard times in
the classroom with no parental backup, and adversarial relationships
between parents and teachers over who is at fault when kids don't
thrive, or when they get in trouble.  So I support teachers
wholeheartedly, but I wouldn't want to be graded by them on my parenting
skills and philosophies, any more than they would probably not like me
to send them a report card on their teaching habits and expertise.

Jo Elizabeth