During an Educational Crisis

I can tell you that large classes are difficult to teach, whether you teach third grade, or at a community college. What makes it worse is when parents don’t get involved in their children’s education and when adult students show up to a four-hour long class with no book or flash drive. When one student shows up under prepared, it impacts the whole class.

With the education crisis our country has — even in our own community — the first thing we can do as parents is to realize that we are our children’s main teacher. Stop blaming the teachers, the administrators, the boards and the funding for the educational crisis in the country, and start looking at the things you don’t do with your child and should. And adult students? Show up, do your work and ask questions.

If you haven’t figured it out by now, like many of us teachers have – 20% of the parents are doing 80% of the work. And 80% of the other parents…..hello? That gem of an 80%, they blame the teacher, the class size and anybody else – other than themselves. Oh and believe me, as a community college teacher, I get blamed too – and we too have our own Pareto’s Principle.

And some of those parents that do participate? They are super hyped-up, helicopter parents who build their child’s second-grade science project themselves. You know that science project? The one where an 8-year-old builds a radio-controlled volcano that shoots out copious quantities of goo — followed up by, of course, a beautiful electronic sunset.

I see the same types of things in my class. Perhaps varied, a bit, but I do. Why? Because whether we are talking about pedagogy and andragogy, teaching is teaching.

Finally, if you honestly think that our community has poor education based on class size and a lot of fiscal irresponsibility, you are wrong. This community has good education, as long as the parents realize that the schools and teachers are taxed and that parents need to do more.

I’m not saying volunteer for the PTO and I’m not even talking about fundraising. I’m talking about good, old-fashioned face time with your children. Watch a documentary. Listen to talk radio. Watch a movie. Read a book for pleasure. Play Uno. For crying out loud, stop cleaning your house. No one really cares.

Think of the inner-city kids, riddled with gang activity, teenage pregnancy or parents in prison. Our community is a crème puff when it comes to educational crisis. Toughen up.

In closing, the question that may be posed by today’s blog, is: Is this “blogger- woman” suggesting that “I” don’t help teach my child? No, I am not. Probably because if you are reading this, you may be in the 20 percent. And as a teacher, I thank YOU for that. Because one day, someone like me will have the pleasure of having your child in my class. As long as they don’t turn in their second-grade, radio-controlled volcano — I’m super good with that. Because when those types of kids reach my class, they are the worst students. They have never been taught the value of critical thinking and completing their own work as someone has always been hyper parenting them.

And when I have the pleasure of meeting those students’ parents? I thank God, I teach adults and I also thank God that the adult students are protected by confidentiality and FERPA.

On that note, I bid you peace.