I may be heartless. I may lack sensitivity. I am not blind and as a history teacher I remember what has gone before. I have observed that when a parent cries, the meeting is hopeless. We had a parent meeting last week. We were trying to keep a student on track. She was a nice person. No one questioned that she was a pleasure to have around. The problem was that she was failing several classes. As we suggested checking her homework the mother started tearing up because she could not check her child's homework. She claimed she did not understand. I wasn’t sure if it was the English part or the math skills. When the tears appeared rational discussion stopped. Warm-hearted, caring people reached for boxes of tissue. I tried to cover my frustration. For all intents and purposes the meeting was over.
Later, it became clear that the girl was lying to her mother on a constant basis. That should have been the point when the tears came out but it breezed by without a ripple. It is no wonder these kids are so messed up. What hope does this young lady have if her own mother doesn’t get upset when she is lied to. Where can she turn when I am the only adult in the room that seems to see this as a problem.
Welcome to modern education and modern parenting.
homo unius libri
I believe it's called "enabling," NOT parenting.
ReplyDeleteIf you will excuse a quote from an typical student, "I knew that."
DeleteAA knows it too. Too bad the general public doesn't get it.
Grace and peace.