Has the hierarchy of education changed? (See Details)?

Question

It used to be that parents and students respected the teacher's opinions and methods. They supported the school and its decisions. However, there is a wave of change circling society. Parents and students are feeling a certain "entitlement" stemming from paying their tax dollars or tuition in the name of education.

What will this mean for the future of our schools? Is it right to allow parents and students to dictate policy and procedure? Or even curriculum? Or should we entrust the education of our students to professionals who are certified in this department?

Answer 1

Yes, the hierarchy of education has shifted, as part of the wider societal shift towards the sanctification of youth and the elevation of creativity over knowledge. This appears to have led to the idea that a child's views about what's good for it are as valid of those who are trained and paid to help open the world up to them. This has a degree of relevance in certain social care situations, but not, I don't believe, in education, where the very fact of youth means that young people often DON'T know what they'd need to know before their opinion was as valid as the adults'.

Parental input can often be useful. Parental dictation though is the result of lazy thinking - we pay our tax dollars, therefore we can tell you what to do. Gibberish. Utter gibberish. As parents, you pay your tax dollars to ensure the job is done RIGHT, not to do it yourself. Indeed, you pay your tax dollars so you don't HAVE to do it yourself. Sit down, Mr and Mrs Averagefolk and let the teachers you employ do the job you pay 'em for!

To have parental input into the curriculum becomes a scary prospect in a nation where something more than 40% of adults reportedly believe in the existence of the actual Devil, and should be avoided if at all possible.

When I was at school, corporal punishment - the cane etc - was still enforced here in the UK. Was that a good thing? I don't know, but I know that with an ultimate sanction (whatever it is), the teacher and the school has ultimate authority to do the job they are paid for. Without one, and with the increasing prevalence of the idea that children don't do anything that's necessarily "wrong", the job of maintaining discipline and opening minds in schools becomes more difficult with every year that passes.

Answer 2

You bring up a number of good points. The wave of change you describe is a fact. However, I believe there are several different reasons for it. A major factor is the governmental/societal involvement in the historic responsibilities of the parent. As more and more money is taken from all citizens, the money must be spent by the receivers (schools for one) to, in effect, control the lives and thoughts of the children and, indeed, the parents. Simply put, publicly funded schools are nothing but child welfare. Supplied at an enormous and inefficient cost. In addition to the huge cost ($18,000 per student year in California) the "product" is not being supplied.

I am not a proponent for home schooling. Teaching should be done by those most qualified. I believe that if the parents where responsible for the cost of their child's education two things would happen. First: The child would be taught. No social promotions. No graduation without the required accomplishments. Second: The total economic structure of the schools would be changed. Instead of a top heavy management system and pay scales determined by the Unions, the parents would, in effect, vote with their wallets for the best school system for their child. Free market system.

As far as respecting the teachers; Why should they? The teachers Union (California) has stated flat out that there are no bad teachers. The Union has supported programs and systems (bi-lingual education for one) that have been shown not only ineffective but harmful. Why? Because the pay scale for bi-ligual teachers was higher.

True teachers are the torch bearers of any modern society. Good teachers are mentors, counselers, advisors and confidants. I never blame the teachers. Only the system with which has been established. I am somewhat biased. I mentor students myself.

Answer 3

I don't see that what you are asking about is a change.

Schools have always been the product of parents paying for an education and teachers having to edit their curriculum to the parent's desires.

This is nothing new.

The first schools in the U.S. were only created to teach religion because that was all the parents were willing to pay for in the way of education.

As for your second question as to who should get to chose, that depends on the school. Obviously, the teachers know how to teach and how to test. At the same time so do many of the parents. It is hard to ignore the fact that the best students seldom become the teacher and the best teachers were not themselves great students. In fact many schools with the best teachers are teaching the worst students and vice versa. I know because I floated between schools and levels in that school to get the best teachers possible. If I had done what the teachers had wanted I would have never met such talented individuals. And in private schools it only gets worse.

I say they should work together as to the budget and timing of classes and as to the content if the content becomes objectionable, as in my education has transended racial barriers that are presently no longer there or at least no longer there in the same places. That was at the behest of the parents and not just the teachers.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

Certified doesn't mean deified. I don't mind parents being involved with education. I teach in a district that has a large number of professionals. They are vocal, but mostly they support what the district decides upon. It is a balancing act between what we feel is the right direction and what a vocal minority feels is the right path. Parents have a right to be a part of the process and I know you favor this. Problems arise when we kowtow ( I love that word ) to the the wishes of a few chosen powerful groups of parents. We all know who they are. Nixon called the other side of the ledger the silent majority. It exists with parents as well. We need them to be less silent. We have a few leading a majority when it comes to policy and curriculum decisions. No Child Left Behind hasn't really helped either. Is our children learning, or is they not? Only W. knows.

Answer 6

A great question !

Education encompasses teaching and learning specific skills, and also something less tangible but more profound: the imparting of knowledge, good judgement and wisdom.

Education has as one of its fundamental goals the imparting of culture from generation to generation.

Are parents qualified to know where education is going? Who is? Industry wants education for its own means! As does everybody else.

It should be decided by a quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation that is able to independently audit the skills and knowledge needed for the majority of our children, teenagers and adults.

Teachers, me being one, are able to teach to the best of their ability but they are not always the best to decide upon where subject foci's should head. That is for others to decide and we should all have an input into the process.

Parents have right to have an input, as does, the government, finance houses, industrial giants and so on. It is such a hard thing to get right and will always upset someone.

Just looking at the teaching of science is a massive issue - the astronomers want one thing, chemical companies another, sports companies another, medical industries another.

A perfect science - education never can be. It can only ever evolve by teachers pushing the boundaries and children being taught the skills for a successful life (whatever they are!!).

Answer 7

That's what wrong with society today! I think that all this political correctness and 'entitlements' like you describe are responsible (at least in part) of Columbine and the like.

This is kind of funny, because just last week, we went to an open house because our daughter is a freshman...they had an assembly in the beginning, where school administrators explained what was expected. One was NO CELL PHONES in class - most of the students (most of which were ON their phones at the moment) balked at that...some parents too even! One point was proper attire. Nothing offensive, revealing, hateful, illegal, etc. The woman said "Please check your kids before they leave in the morning." refering to them wearing proper attire. Some fatassbitch in front of us turns to a woman next to her and says, all wide-eyed, "Oh! Now we're supposed to CHECK them?!"

I really wish I could have bitchslapped her.

Thank you if you've read this far...I, for one, trust my kids' schools and educators to do their job.

Answer 8

This is deep. Actually, the best thing would be to get the politicians out of it, and smack a few bad boys with the paddle, and lose the ACLU, and things should go back where they were.

Answer 9

an opinion on this question depends on the role you want schools to play. if you think teachers and administrators have the expertise to decide what is 'right' for kids and what will give them the best chance to succeed, then you'd entrust them with making and carrying out a proper curriculum, program of discipline, and school atmosphere. if on the other hand you believe that as a taxpayer, YOU have the right to call the shots, then you'd think that schools should do as parents wish, and respect their thoughts and concerns about the educational process. you'd think a healthy cooperative mix of the two would be the best policy, with parents and faculty working together to make sure children grow up safe, and educated enough to be functioning members of society.

in my eyes, the professionals SHOULD be trusted to do their jobs, and we SHOULD have every confidence that they are able to do so. sadly, the papers are littered with stories of teachers who are criminal, unethical or poorly trained, classrooms that are understaffed, underfunded or out of control, and school boards that ignore sound educational principles to further their own causes. sound like politics? that's exactly what it sounds like to me.

there is no easy answer. parents should expect that educational professionals are competent and well trained. teachers and administrators should be able to hold intelligent and civilized discussions about school priorities and needs. and of course, one of those needs is money.

public schools were originally maintained to make sure we would put forth a new generation of GOOD AMERICANS, able to be productive members of that same society. if it now takes a cooperation between parents, teachers, and administrators to do this, perhaps it's a sign of the times. or maybe just parents feel a sense of entitlement or ownership of their schools (would that be a bad thing?) either way, i think it's a trend that will continue. hopefully all can accept it willingly and accept also any help or input in the spirit in which it is intended.

Answer 10

Who cares? Kids are idiots anyway.