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Parents' Job II

Submitted by Betsy Combier, Aug 1, 2007 17:51

It is indeed sad to read an opinion piece by such a respected education commentor as Diane Ravich that is so wrong, or at least misleading. I am a parent advocate and have been working with kids and parents in New York City for seven years. While it is true that some children do not want to be in school, and their parents are not supporting their going to class, there is something else going on. This something else is the removal of good teachers suddenly and without warning, and their replacement by substitutes who cannot teach the subject they are supposed to teach because they are not certified. Citywide, Principals are replacing teachers thrown away by a syatem that needs to keep everyone silent about racial discrimination, social promotion, grade snuffing, and other actions such as these that occur in our public school system on a daily basis. I know because the parents, children, and teachers contact us every day, all day and night. Substitutes cannot teach a curriculum on the spot, and dont try. Teachers certified to teach history are not able to teach chemistry tomorrow no matter how good they are. Kids with special needs that are not addressed by the teacher because the teacher was never told that the student(s) have special needs, get bored/frustrated/angry quickly. Not being able to communicate their emotions, they act out, and then are thrown out. Rather than tell their parents that they didn't receive their reading/writing/math help and counseling, these kids simply give up, stay away from school and pay the consequences of a system that does not care enough to listen to them, or their parents. That's what's really happening, Diane.

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Other reader comments on this article

Comment	By	Date
If some children are apathetic, it's because in the age of technology, schools seems obsolete. Kids sit in classrooms learning... [MORE]	Tony S	Aug 3, 2007 00:51
What is the purpose of education? I've always thought to better society as a whole. Then, given the current structure... [MORE]	Brian	Aug 2, 2007 15:27
Brian, I agree 100%. I am middle aged and studying to become a teacher. The number of students who care... [MORE]	Rollie	Oct 20, 2007 10:17
Blaming the problems in the US on teachers and administrators does little good. After spending 16 years as a high... [MORE]	Frank Johnson	Aug 2, 2007 14:14
This article says: "Almost everything that students need to do differently takes place at home. None of it costs an additional... [MORE]	Jed Rothwell	Aug 2, 2007 13:20
Instruction in English must come first. If an American child living on an American base in germany were to apply... [MORE]	John Schuh	Aug 3, 2007 00:45
John Schuh asks: "My question is, however: How effective is the ESOL program [Rothwell] supports?" If the ESOL program is not... [MORE]	Jed Rothwell	Aug 4, 2007 17:40
That all the issues raised here are legitimate does not address the problem. After so many generations of increasingly bad... [MORE]	james wilson	Aug 2, 2007 11:29
You are right about not blaming the teachers. The unions, however, are obvious targets. Unlike the teachers, they do not... [MORE]	Gil Reeser	Aug 1, 2007 22:06
Diane Ravitch: "Until we as a society begin to recognize that students and parents must take responsibility for the part... [MORE]	Tom Shuford	Aug 1, 2007 18:41
It is indeed sad to read an opinion piece by such a respected education commentor as Diane Ravich that is...	Betsy Combier	Aug 1, 2007 17:51
Diane Ravitch and classroom teacher David R. are right: scapegoating teachers while satisfying will not resolve America's educational crisis... [MORE]	Richard "Ricardo" Munro	Aug 1, 2007 17:26
Ms. Ravitch - I read with great interest your article on Parent's Job II and feel that, while many of... [MORE]	Ken Slentz	Aug 1, 2007 17:17
I agree we should not scapegoat teachers - there are many good teachers. But we should also not lay the... [MORE]	Debbie Smith	Aug 1, 2007 13:49
Some major civil rights leaders seem to agree: Rosa Parks: "I do not question so much how to make the schools... [MORE]	Richard	Aug 1, 2007 10:58
When you become a mother, your hopes are of having a normal child with ten toes and ten fingers and... [MORE]	Marie Ribaudo	Aug 1, 2007 09:54
Ms. Ribaudo expresses a very important truth, but one we don't want to deal with. As our nation has grown... [MORE]	T Mulligan	Aug 2, 2007 11:44

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