SvennoJ said:
Don't be so quick to blame the parents. The schools are quick to send problem children home, "he's disrupting the class. Get him to a doctor. We can't deal with him if he's not taking his medication" And the doctors are quick to prescribe medication. There's not really an alternative for 2 hard working parents, barely able to keep their heads above water. Expensive therapy and private schools are not an option. Classes are too big for the teachers to spend extra time with the problem children. When I was young classes of 16-18 were normal, nowadays upto 30 is considered fine. |
I was a teacher for one year at one of those prestigious High Schools. My classes ranged from 18 to 38 (yowser!), and my experience told me strongly that education starts with the parents. (in general) The kids that were respectful and decent had caring and involved parents - Parents that were sober in their thinking and set a good example. The kids that gave trouble invariably came from homes where proper conduct was not the order of the day.
"he's disrupting the class. Get him to a doctor. We can't deal with him if he's not taking his medication"
I never encountered statements like these. Before I went to the prestigious High School where the cost is about R25 000 per year (2 500 Euro) I was at a fully state run school with a school fee of R400 (40 Euro!) per year. In both schools he overwhelming majority of teachers tried their best at helping children and never made cold-hearted statemtens like this. Moreover, even in the poverty-stricken schools there were many well cultured children, which shows that its not a financial consideration, but one that starts with the integrity and nature of the parents themselves.
I see an almost one-to-one relation between the child's behaviour and the home he/she comes from, i.e. the home the parents have provided for their children. If parents are in a situation where,
''There's not really an alternative for 2 hard working parents, barely able to keep their heads above water''
The priviledge of raising and educating children is a tremendous responsibility and one that should only be undertaken when not in the situation where the 'head is merely kept above water'. Growing up in an environment like that is EXACTLY the reason for the erratic behaviour in most cases.
So why don't you want me to blame the parents? They are the cause of the child's life and should therefore ensure that he/she is raised in a nurturing and loving environment. Getting children is selfish and spineless if you are not able to create a happy home.
