Teacher replies to recent letter (02/20/06)

To the editor:

This letter is in response to the Feb. 14 letter to the editor written by Penny Collins. As an educator I am compelled to respond to her letter. Several points made in the letter disturbed me greatly. I believe there is a need for Ms. Collins, and those who share her point of view, to be educated on several fronts.

Although I agree with her that communication between teachers and parents is of utmost importance, online communication is not the most effective form of communication. Face to face, in my opinion, is by far the most effective form of communication.

I believe Ms. Collins is off-base in saying that communication is lacking between the teachers of the Jay School Corporation and the parents. Maybe the problem is that there has been little to no effort on her part to communicate with the teachers.

My husband and I have had our four children in Redkey Elementary, West Jay Middle School and Jay County High School simultaneously since our arrival to this county four years ago. We have had many opportunities to communicate with our children’s teachers, principals and guidance counselors. Yes, guidance counselors. You’ll find, Ms. Collins, that if you pick up the phone and call those guidance counselors you may be enlightened as to what they do. Some of the many things that they do are counseling, scheduling, making sure students have enough credits to graduate, giving information on scholarship opportunities and giving advice as to the different career paths. The list goes on and on. It’s a shame you never took advantage of their expertise.

As a mother of four children and as a teacher, my schedule is very busy. However, I believe it is my responsibility as a parent of school-aged children to do whatever it takes to find out what is going on with my children educationally. Raising children takes hard work. It shouldn’t be that we sit home waiting for the world to spit out information to us without ever lifting a hand. If you want to have great communication with the teachers, start doing something about it. If you don’t know what is going on with your children, then it’s your own fault. Don’t wait until report cards are sent home to find out that your child is failing. Get involved.

My husband and I ask our four children daily about homework, tests and how things are going at school. If we don’t get an adequate answer or don’t understand something, we send a note to school, call a teacher or send an e-mail to a teacher. I have always received a prompt reply from the teachers and administrators at Redkey Elementary, West Jay Middle School and Jay County High School. Yes, each teacher has an e-mail address. If you would visit the school website, you would find a wealth of information pertaining to the corporation.

I not only believe that parents have a responsibility in the success of their children’s education endeavors, but the teachers and students do as well. I have found that my children’s teachers in Jay County are responsible in making sure my children are successful. They have done a great job in communicating to me by way of e-mail, notes or phone calls.

It is the job of parents to train their children to be responsible. If you train a child correctly, he/she will learn responsibility. Children need to learn that there are consequences for making wrong choices and/or being irresponsible. I disagree with Ms. Collins that children will grow up and do fine in the real world if they are not made to do things for themselves. Unfortunately, we live in a time where our children are catered to, babied and not given the proper discipline that is needed. The result of this type of child-rearing is children who are disrespectful, irresponsible and unwilling to work for anything.

Your point is well taken when you say, “I would bet more parents of kids with good grades go to (conferences) than the parents of failing students.” Why do you think the kids with good grades have good grades? It’s partly due to having parents involved in their education. What does it say about your involvement or concern for your child’s educational welfare if you can’t even go to a parent-teacher conference, call the school or send an e-mail?

If your concern is for your child, you should be able to figure out a way to communicate with the teachers. If large groups are intimidating, you can always set up a one-on-one conference or a phone conference. Meet with your child’s teachers and come up with a game plan to help your struggling child. You’ll find that the more you esteem education, the more your child will see the benefit of doing well. Time and time again, I see a direct correlation between students who fail or do poorly in school and those whose parents are not involved with them educationally and who do not regard education as a valuable tool for the future. What a shame.

I appreciate your concern for making teachers’ jobs easier. The best way in helping to make teachers’ jobs easier is for parents to be actively involved in the communication process with the teachers. It is time that we, as parents, take responsibility in raising our children to be productive adults, willing to work hard. Communication must start at home. Communication cannot be achieved by throwing information out into cyberspace.

Dr. Timothy Newby, Purdue University professor, sums it up best: “Technology should compliment, not replace, communication.”

Rita Murrell

Dunkirk

Says sorry

To the editor:

At the board meeting in Redkey on Feb. 16, I asked the little league president Mr. James if it would be possible for little league to contribute to the mowing expenses at the park this year. Several rejections were immediately heard.

I wish to apologize for this. I was not in any way intending to take anything from a child or little league as a whole. So if I stepped on any toes, I’m truly sorry.

Dottie Quakenbush, president, Redkey Town Board[[In-content Ad]]