CNN Living piece: What teachers really want to tell parents

[Anonymous]

An interesting read.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/06/living/teachers-want-to-tell-parents/index.html

[Anonymous]

I thought it was so-so and actually made me feel a little worse towards teachers.

Way to much attitude that the teacher is right the parents are wrong.

The episode with the boy who didn't finish the reading list - the author didn't seem to understand that the mom may not have actually been providing an excuse but just an explanation. The mom is able to decide what kind of pressure and issues exist in the family- not the teacher -and the mom is able to choose to dispense with shoolwork for the summer. Likewise, the author doesn't seem to understand that the student himself may make the choice not to read the books. Whether the teacher likes its or not, the student does get to make that choice. Maybe he will cram the reading in the last days of vacation or maybe read them during the first weeks or not at all but it still was a choice - not an excuse.

Teachers are human and sometimes dislike kids for various no good reasons - they talk too loud or soft, they don't dress right, they aren't popular with other students, they are too attractive, not attractive enough and so on and so forth and I believe that there are teachers who reflect those likes and dislikes in grades. As far as parents that push, I kind of feel that because my parents did not, I ended up at a disadvantage so I get why the parents get involved to that degree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought it was so-so and actually made me feel a little worse towards teachers.

Way to much attitude that the teacher is right the parents are wrong.

The episode with the boy who didn't finish the reading list - the author didn't seem to understand that the mom may not have actually been providing an excuse but just an explanation. The mom is able to decide what kind of pressure and issues exist in the family- not the teacher -and the mom is able to choose to dispense with shoolwork for the summer. Likewise, the author doesn't seem to understand that the student himself may make the choice not to read the books. Whether the teacher likes its or not, the student does get to make that choice. Maybe he will cram the reading in the last days of vacation or maybe read them during the first weeks or not at all but it still was a choice - not an excuse.

Teachers are human and sometimes dislike kids for various no good reasons - they talk too loud or soft, they don't dress right, they aren't popular with other students, they are too attractive, not attractive enough and so on and so forth and I believe that there are teachers who reflect those likes and dislikes in grades. As far as parents that push, I kind of feel that because my parents did not, I ended up at a disadvantage so I get why the parents get involved to that degree.