Parents

In Response to Susan Steven's blog "What Teachers Want Parents to Know"

     As a future teacher this topic brought up some interesting points. Today, the public expects different traits in the "perfect teacher". Usually the public assumes that because you are a teacher your only job is to create a safe place for students not to learn but just to spend their time. Safe places are good put parents today have degraded the schools into daycares which creates tension between teachers, students, administrators and parents. 

     Teachers are here to teach. Simple really, yet today's public does not understand the full context of this statement. Today, parents think that the skills taught in schools are worth less than their child's present happiness. What they do not realize is that sometimes a little pain is what is necessary for a student to move to the next level and to eventually succeed and be happy in the future. And a teacher is not there to facilitate the pain but to encourage, excite and push greatness from every child. Greatness takes time, energy and sometimes a little pain. Teachers need all the help they can get so that their child will feel the burn of greatness and rather than deciding it is too much, go for more! Without the Parents and the Teachers working together such an accomplishment can never happen. Parents need to see the teachers as a partner, not a nemesis. 

     In short, teachers are not here to coddle but to encourage and cannot do it alone. Without the parents, teachers can hardly hope for the students to succeed and flourish. With the parents though, anything is possible for every student. 

To read more on the subject read this article by Ron Clark