Every Parent example essay topic

What do President Bush, the American Federation of Teachers, The National Education Association, business leaders, community organizations, educators, parents, and the clergy have in common? Each of these groups or individuals believe they can improve American education. Though their broad plans may differ in some areas, there is agreement on certain issues. However, none of their proposals address the single, most important reason our students fail to live up to their potential. Oddly enough, I know the answer. Having served for two years as a cadet teacher while in high school, the reason students fail to succeed in school is glaringly apparent to anyone who has ever visited a kindergarten or first grade classroom.

It is the parent's fault. Nobody, of course, will admit to that. Politicians would not dream of alienating parents who are, after all, nothing more than voters with children. Business leaders fear being called elitists. Educators know they stand a far better chance of reforming the school system than they do negligent parents. And the clergy, parent groups, and community organizations are not about to admit to their own failings.

It is so much easier to play the blame game. So, let's take a close look at one of our "failing students". I was first introduced to six-year old "Joey Smith" while serving as a cadet teacher in a first grade elementary school in Niles, Michigan. I was assigned to help Joey master a particular phonics skill. I immediately noticed Joey's vacant stare. He never made eye contact with me.

I would speak to him, but he kept his face turned away from me. When asked a question, his face never moved toward me. I had to talk to his profile. Though it was 9: 30 in the morning, Joey looked as if he had just fallen out of bed. His clothes were disheveled and not particularly clean. His fingernails needed cutting.

He appeared to be tired. In the beginning, I thought Joey's unresponsive attitude toward me might be due to shyness. As the days passed and I spent more time with him, I realized that shyness was not the problem. There were other issues at play here. Joey's verbal skills were painfully lacking. His most used phrase was, "I dunno".

I tried to reach beyond academics, attempting to engage him in conversation. His replies were always short, spoken with his head down. Sadly, I realized that children like Joey had little experience in the art of conversation. While people at home had to talk to him, no one talked with him. His mom did not ask him about his hopes and dreams. He was not greeted at the door with hugs and cookies and an interested parent who wanted to know about his day.

His homework was not monitored. There were no bedtime stories read to him. No one tucked him into bed at night, showering him with a million nighttime kisses. At the age of six, many of our little Joeys have never been to a zoo or a museum. His world consists of his home, school, and the homes of other relatives. He had yet to see the inside of a public library.

He watched a lot of television, much of it inappropriate. His attempts to converse with adults were met with indifference or scorn. "Shut up. You just sit there and be quiet.

You want me to get the belt? You don't know what you " re talking about". That is the language spoken in too many homes. And so Joey, and many millions more like him, are delivered to their local schools, and teachers are mandated to teach him. However, on the first day of kindergarten, he is already so far behind.

He cannot recognize letters, or even some colors. He cannot write his name or recite his address. He has no verbal or social skills. At the tender age of five or six, children like Joey have already been failed -- not by the school system or the teacher, but by his parents. President Bush demands accountability from schools and teachers.

He wants schools to concentrate on the basics, reading, writing, and math. The magazine, Business Week, conducted an extensive poll among education's elite and came up with seven proposals they claim will improve the quality of education. They included such laudable goals as paying teachers for performance, making schools smaller, and increasing funding to schools. The National Education Association wants smaller class sizes, clear achievement expectations, safe and clean schools, and additional funding.

I agree that our school system can be helped immensely by the enactment of all these various proposals. But all the increased spending in the world will not change the fact that far too many of our five and six year olds are broken before their first day of school ever begins. I want every politician, community organization, clergyman, educator, and anyone else with a voice to stand up and speak the truth. And the truth is that behind every child doing poorly in school, there is a parent who does not know how to do his / her job. Everyone is clamoring for schools and teachers to be held accountable.

I agree with those demands, however, parents must also be held to the fire. I believe that the energy and resources of our educators and psychologists and social workers should create a curriculum for successful parenting, which will lead to academic success. I want that curriculum taught to every high school student in our nation. I want every clergyman to discuss it with his parishioners and encourage them to assume the responsibility of parenting. I want television to air it, and radio stations to play it. I want parenting handbooks printed and distributed by doctors and dentists and social workers.

I want this handbook given to every new employee by every company in our country. And I certainly want a nurse to read it to every mother who has just given birth in hospitals all across America. I hope this "Statement of Parenting" will include the following: Respond to your baby's cries by picking him / her up. You cannot spoil an infant. When you feed your baby, look into her eyes. Sing to your baby.

Read to her. Talk to your baby all the time. That's how she " ll learn language. Hold her and rock her so that she " ll feel loved. When she gets older, show her the world outside your home.

Take her to the park, to the zoo, to museums, to the library. Every minute you spend with your child is an opportunity to teach her; about colors, shapes, sizes, textures, numbers, letters, and social relationships. Read to her every day without fail. Really listen to her. When she speaks to you, look into her eyes. Monitor her television viewing, both in terms of quantity and quality.

Teach her to be well mannered. Impress upon her, every day of her life, that she is important. Her feelings and her thoughts are valued. Realize that discipline is meant to teach, not to punish. Use your hands to comfort your child, never to cause pain. If every parent reared their children according to this philosophy, the vast majority would be able to succeed in school.

Of course, there will be exceptions. Children with learning disabilities, mental or physical handicaps will require special care. And some children will be let down by incompetent teachers or poorly run schools. We can deal with those problems, because they will be the exception to the rule. Parents are the primary teachers of children. If the child they bring to kindergarten has been properly nurtured, the teacher can successfully teach that child.

But if parents continue to fail to provide children with the basic fundamentals necessary to prepare them for school, all the school reforms in the world will not be able to erase the child's earlier neglect. Parents need to parent so that teachers can teach..