Letter to the Editor

Don't blame educators

Sunday, November 29, 2009

To the Editor:

There was a letter in the paper (Nov. 23, 2009) and I was a little upset with the writer. It has to do with our educators, etc.

You know, people are always blaming everything on the educators and this isn't right. First, if there is a problem with the way things are done in our schools it is the administration that should be blamed, not the educators. This is the superintendent and the school board. They make up the rules and the educators just have to follow them.

This parent complained that instead of being requested to come to school for a parent/teacher conference, paper work was sent home. I just wonder how many parent/teacher conferences this parent has attended in the past, and in order for your child to do well in school, you as a parent, need to work with them at home when they bring home their school work.

This is bonding time for you and your child.

The writer made reference that the educator doesn't come to their home and do laundry and cleaning and therefore, the writer did not feel it was their job to do any teaching and this is just wrong. It is the parent's responsibility to see that their child is educated. If parents took more time with their children, we wouldn't see all these juveniles on the streets every night bothering people with their skateboards, etc., or making messes in the parking lots of the businesses in town.

Parents need to take a bigger interest in their children.

If your child went from an A to a B in a subject, maybe there was extenuating circumstances of something happening in the home. Do not go around blaming the educator. Our educators work long hours, not just in a classroom, but at home as well. Our educators worked, what four years without a raise or a contract and kept right on going into classes everyday. No one thanked them for even being there. They spend many hours at home grading papers, working on lesson plans, and really you would be surprised at how many worry about students in their classes they see who aren't doing well and know there is nothing they can do about that.

Kids today have shorter days in school than we did. In middle school and high school, class periods are shorter. Also, students today are not even taught by their parents to respect their teachers, so please do not blame the educators for any of this. Their hands are tied in many ways.

We used to have a little saying that those who can teach do and those who cannot become administrators. Think about that for a while. But, if you don't show respect for the educators, neither will your children.

Jaqui Griffith,

Brazil