The problem is the students; no, it's the parents

This former teacher studies the problem of children getting a poor education and also studies all the reasons and excuses that are given for the problem. DP

By Michael L. Hays /For the Sun-News

The problem of poor academic performance in public education is systemic, with all components contributing to decades-long decline and continuing mediocrity. I focus on elementary school teachers here because, poorly educated themselves, then ill prepared by schools of education, they make the first impression on students and parents.

Many people blame students for spending too much time watching television or playing computer games. Far more blame parents for not making their children attend school and do their homework; not attending parent-teacher conferences; not valuing education, instilling standards, and setting a good example. The problem: students or parents hinder teachers from doing their job well.

When teachers shift responsibility for poor academic performance from themselves to those whom they are supposed to serve, students and parents, they are simply being unprofessional. Practitioners in other professions do not blame their clients. Notably, educational history also debunks and discredits their effort.

I know what my friends and I did when the elementary school day ended and we had no TV or computer games. I also know what we did not do: we did not immediately go home to read books or do schoolwork.
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