An Apology
I truly want to apologize for the things I have said today about some of the parents at our school.
I do have some parents who care about their children’s education and behavior in school. Some parents seem to welcome my calls when we are trying to guide their child in correct behavior and responsibility. Some parents inform me when there have been changes in the household that might affect their kids’ behavior. Some parents thank me for what I do for their kids.
The thing that saddens me, though, is that the list of parents who exhibit caring behaviors and attitudes has become shorter each year. I do have to admit that today is not like it was years ago when we were in school. I am concerned by the number of parents in our school system who have a lot of issues such as authority issues, mental health issues, drinking issues, and drug issues. I have seen how the family unit has changed over the years and how the attitudes have changed with it. For example, I am sure many of you remember that if you got into trouble in school, you also got into trouble at home. I see less and less of that today. I have been verbally attacked because a parent will not listen to what actually happened in the classroom, and does not want to have to deal with problems that may have been of his or her child’s own making. I have seen a parent who does not make his child attend school: Last year, one student missed 35 school days, and this year another student has missed close to that. Several years ago, the parents of a child who had missed 32 days of school was pulled from my class in April because the mother (who had some mental health issues) said I was picking on her child because I made that child make up all the work he missed. One other set of parents was brought up on charges of not making their kids attend school (one was in my class) and then sued the school district, not accepting their responsibility in the lack of their kids’ education. Then the parent wonders why his or her child has problems in school. Several years ago, two students were openly rebellious and refused to listen and abide by the classroom and school rules. That was the year that our principal would not back the teachers’ discipline plans and insisted it was the fault of the teachers!
So many days I feel so helpless. Thank goodness there is such a thing as prayer.
If I could have one wish, I would wish that I had YOUR child in my classroom. Then I would know that we could work together to further the kids’ education and that your kids would see the mutual respect that would be evident in our personal and professional relationships.
Thanks for listening.
