Gazette » Teachers or Parents: Who’s More Important?

Teachers or Parents: Who’s More Important?

By Alan Haskvitz

Are teachers or parents more important in a child’s education?

Many students have sent me letters and visited me telling about the influence I made on their lives. I don’t think this is an unusual event for any teacher, but it does shed some light on who is the most important influence on a child’s education.

I look at it like this; a student is swept along on the influence of a parent much like a river flowing towards maturity. Sprinkled throughout this river are teachers who, like rocks, divert the flow. Sometimes they cause small eddies of current, sometimes they create a new channel, and always they make turbulence. Overall, the influence of the parent is stronger and more consistent, but a motivating educator can cause the student to see new patterns, consider new options, and develop new interests. The worst they can cause the child to react and think differently and as the child prepares for their life’s journey on a seldom placid ocean.

In the early, formative years, the parent is the most important influence on a child’s education. There is no more important time in a person’s life than the early years when a parent’s love for reading and sharing make life long learning a possibility. As the child gets older the parent continues to dominate as the most important element in a child’s attitude and thus learning. Especially since most children spend less than ten percent of a calendar year in school. (That is 180 days times six hours per day.)

Parents also can motivate their children more easily than teachers on a daily basis just based on the fact that the teacher has so many more children to care for. This motivation reaches beyond the basic curriculum. A parent can influence a child’s life by teaching proper eating and health care. Obese children have a much higher incidence of medical problems and few teachers can make much headway in expressing their concern without being accused of bias and even self-esteem issues.

In the teen years peers become a dominating force that must be dealt with. However, when the subject matter becomes sophisticated and the parent or peers do not have the resources to help, the teacher becomes more important. Finally, and not to be overlooked, is the importance of the school itself in terms of peers, pressures, and opportunities. Regardless of how dedicated a home schooler is attempts to recreate the offerings of any school it is difficult at best to compete with qualified art, music, physical education, foreign language, math, science, reading, language arts, social studies, and other certified teachers not to mention the funding and other resources.

Let me provide an example. I went to a dinner where the parents had elected to homeschool their youngsters. The parents were excellent musicians and when the children brought out their instruments for an impromptu concert I was quite interested. What I heard changed that. The parents were great musicians, but not as good at teaching. The result were children who were motivated, but needed instruction at their level. This could be provided by a tutor, but at what cost? In effect, the children could have greatly benefited by a school music program where they could learn from their peers as well as from a teacher used to instructing at a lower level of ability. So, in this case, the teacher would be more important but without the support of the parent there would be little gained.

One concern is what happens when teacher and parent concerns collide. For example, I have seen parents confront teachers over why they were picking on their child many times. I call these people Mommy Bears because they react as if their child has been attacked. The child quickly picks up on this and is not above manipulating the situation to their advantage to get into an easier class, be assigned to a class where a friend is, or to teach the instructor who is the boss. With this in mind it is vital for a parent to get both sides of an issue first. In over 30 years of teaching I have never seen a situation where communications wouldn’t have improved the outcome. Remember that even young children are quite capable of having a hidden agenda. Of course, there may be a very good reason for concern and that is why the parent should show a consistent interest in their child’s accomplishments and learning to alleviate possible problems early. Regardless of the situation, the parent is always going to be the strongest influence on a child until the teen years and most likely well beyond.

In terms of guidance, the parent clearly takes precedence over the teacher until high school when student can benefit greatly from an educator that can accurately direct their interests to those universities and colleges that are most attuned to their interests. It would be a very uncommon parent who could keep track of all the offerings that one high school guidance counselor comes across. In middle school and high school students can see teachers as role models and dedicate themselves to a variety of occupations, including education. We have one English teacher at our school who has been such a model to dozens of future teachers, including some who have returned to teach at the school.

Ultimately, the most important thing a parent can do is provide a place where children can do their schoolwork quietly and without interruption. A place where they can read and be read to and where homework is checked with the emphasis placed on understanding what it was and how this work relates to the class. The most important thing that a teacher can do is provide motivating challenges and open the child open to new thinking, ideas, and the importance of working with others in a safe environment. Teachers can bridge the gap between the skills the child brings to the classroom and the skills necessary in a diverse range of subjects. A motivating teacher is just as essential to the success of a student as a caring parent. Neither can be as effective without the other but what always must be kept in mind is the ultimate goal of an education and that is to produce a well rounded citizen willing to take part in society and maximize their attributes.

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Alan Haskvitz is a member of the National Teachers Hall of Fame and has been selected one of the nation’s most successful and innovative teachers many times. His record of student accomplishments has been featured in books, periodicals, and on national radio and television. He is a classroom teacher with experience at every grade level and every major subject.

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