Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Teachers Grading Parents?

In a recent CNN article, a FL legislator had the idea that teachers in younger grades should be able to grade parents on things such as preparedness for class, being well-rested, having food, etc.  While this seems like a great idea at first - that the responsibility would be a two-way street, instead of solely falling on schools - I have come to see the fallback from this sort of policy. 

First of all, I don't think that many parents would appreciate or change their behavior if they received a "bad grade." Let's face it, the same parents who care about getting good grades are going to be the parents who take care of their children anyway!  Parents who aren't responsible enough to care for their children are not going to be affected by receiving a bad grade.  Side note: as a HS teacher, I can already see the makings of good parents/irresponsible parents in my classes.  Especially if they have children while they are in HS.

Secondly, I do think that this legislator is on the right path. Our society places an unfair burden on schools alone to raise and prepare our future generations. Character education and personal financial literacy are things that used to be taught at home - now these and even more expectations fall on the school.  Maybe we should brainstorm some ideas to get the same result without the negative feeling of our parenting being "graded."  All parents know that there are just some mornings you forget their library book or don't bring a change of clothes...that is ok, we're all human.

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