Letters to the Editor...
Parent accountability; teacher responsibility
Whether students have four, two, one or no
parents;
Whether they are reared by grandparents,
relatives or siblings;
Whether they have 16 brothers and sisters,
plus halves and live-in cousins;
Whether they live in a house, apartment,
shelter or station wagon;
Whether they have clean clothes, good
hygienic habits, good manners;
Whether they speak English, sign language or
no language;
Whether they are challenged visually,
physically or mentally;
Whether they have good interpersonal skills,
social skills or study skills;
Whether they are underachievers, over
achievers or non-achievers;
Whether their personality, character,
religious beliefs are to our liking;
Whether their parents are literate, retarded
or English speaking;
makes no difference to educators. Given laws of the universe (over which we
have no control);
Given our inalienable rights (after all, you
can't shoot them);
Given a hierarchy of government from federal
to local;
Given the laws governing education;
Given rules, policies, procedures,
tradition, etc;
It can all be summed up in five words:
We get what we get!
Parents get the kids they get.
Kids get the parents they get,
(Or the life they get without parents)
School districts get the families they get.
Individual schools get the families they
get.
Teachers get the students they get. Everyone involved works within the
parameters of the laws, rules, and
responsibilities; and even
within what happens outside of those
parameters:
We get what we get.
We accept our kids and we teach them. We use whatever resources we have. If the
parents are good resources, we use them.
If they are not, we do it without them. Within the mandates, mission, goals,
strategic planning, curriculum and
educational policies, we take kids
where they are and we teach them,
unconditionally.
We teach them whatever is required within
the policies.
If they lack manners we teach them manners;
If they lack study skills and prerequisite
knowledge, or home resources, we teach
them what they lack.
If they lack adequate visual and auditory
capability, we teach them
alternative methods Our job is to teach the kids we have.
Not those we used to have
Not those we would like to have
Not those we dream about
Not those who are like us
when we were students
Not those wear clean clothes
Not those who speak English, and
Not those who have responsible parents;
All students, right now. Bill Page
Bill Page, billpage@bellsouth.net,
1/06/02
This month's letters:
Accountability, 1/31/02, by keccles.
Accountability, 1/26/02, by Margaret.
Parent Accountability, 1/24/02, by Lori.
Accountability, 1/24/02, by Keccles.
Accountability, 1/19/02, by Whitebeard.
Proven Research, 1/09/02, by Kara Sherfick.
Keccles, 1/08/02, by Stacy.
Parent Accountability, 1/08/02, by Marilyn Treuil.
school auction, 1/08/02, by ginger taylor /canaan elementary pto.
Parent Accountability, 1/07/02, by Bill Page.
Accountability, 1/07/02, by Keccles.
It's about time we make them accountable!, 1/06/02, by Mkocar.
Do we need them to be accountable?, 1/06/02, by Stacy.
Parent Accountability, 1/06/02, by Little John.
Parent accountability; teacher responsibility, 1/06/02, by Bill Page.
Parent Accountability - the overachiever, 1/05/02, by Don.
Parent accountability, 1/05/02, by Doodah.
Parent Accountability, 1/05/02, by Jacque/WA/K-1.
Parent accountability, 1/05/02, by Bill T.
parent accountability, 1/05/02, by sandy m.s..
Parent accountability, 1/05/02, by JoAnn.
Parent Accountability, 1/05/02, by a middle school teacher.
Parent Accountability, 1/05/02, by another 5th grade teacher.
Parent Accountability, 1/05/02, by Julie.
No tax rebate, surcharge them, or tuition refund incentive, 1/05/02, by George.
parent accountability, 1/05/02, by jen.
Parent accountability, 1/05/02, by MaryBeth.
Parent accountability, 1/05/02, by cato.
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