[blparent] Parent report cards?

Fri May 4 20:05:06 UTC 2012

You said it better than I ever could. All I have to say is yes to everything 
you said.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bridgit Pollpeter" <bpollpeter at hotmail.com>
To: <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, May 04, 2012 1:14 PM
Subject: [blparent] Parent report cards?


> 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
>
>
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