As a parent, the wife of a teacher and as a counselor I find it necessary to respond to Michelle Berger”s Addressing the “Chaos on Campus” in the Feb. 2 Record-Bee.
It is unfortunate that Ms. Berger had a negative experience while working at the school used in her example and it is unfortunate that such examples do exist.
Apathy in the workplace is, unfortunately, commonplace and is often caused by a sense of powerlessness, lack of support and frustration.
Berger forgot, however, another group of individuals responsible for apathy in education. Where do you suppose disruptive, aggressive and disrespectful students develop these behaviors? The climate and attitude toward education begins at home. I provide the following as examples:
Several years ago my husband was verbally assaulted by a young woman in his class. After sending her to the appropriate administrator for disciplinary action, he telephoned the girl”s parents to discuss what had occurred in class. Her father, upon hearing that the call was in regard to his daughter replied, “What did the (expletive) do now?”
As a counselor I contacted the parents of students who were struggling academically or socially at school.
I scheduled at-risk meetings with parents to discuss how school could better help their student to succeed.
I was frequently stood up for at these meetings. Those same parents sure could fuss, however, when I called to discuss sending their student to alternative education or to tell them their child would not graduate.
One parent even suggested I should allow her son participate in graduation, although he did not meet the requirements, because his aunt was flying in to attend.
With our own children we recognize who of their friends have been read to and who have been placed in front of a television or computer screen.
We see that their classmates who do well academically and socially in school are the same children whose parents, at minimum, attend back to school night, open house and parent-teacher meetings.
In our public school system apathetic boards, administrators, counselors and teachers can quickly diminish any hope of adequate education.
The attitude in some schools is one of the reasons many new teachers leave the profession before their fifth year of employment.
I am not suggesting administrators, teachers and counselors are above reproach, I”m merely adding another slice to the pie of responsibility.
Katherine Parker
Kelseyville
