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Your Child Is Failing
One Father’s Insertion Into The Educational System
... And How He Made A Difference
By Danny Von Kanel
Framework Ministries
No parent likes to here the words, “Your child is failing!” Yet, of the 45.6 million public school students in America, 6.7 to 9 million (18 to 19%) parents a year must grapple with this reality. At times, the cause is directly related to the child -- his study habits, interest, or behavior. Other times, failure resonates with the school system because of inflexible systems, teacher inattention, or bureaucratic red tape. This latter cause is where my story begins.
The Shocking News
Midway through Brad’s 7th grade, my wife and I were shocked to open two progress reports detailing Brad’s failure in two key subjects -- math and science.
Brad had always struggled through school. His elementary years were spent agonizing over homework as we stayed up many a night assisting. Somehow we managed. His grades were always in the B and C range. We knew Brad would never be an A
student. We were confident he could achieve up to his ability.
On getting the progress report, my parental concerns kicked-in. I wanted to know what we could do to bring Brad’s grades up. We both agreed I would go to the school. Soon after arriving the next day, I became keenly aware inbred obstinance.
The Intransigent System
Brad’s struggles were in two subjects taught by the same teacher. We felt that if he could be changed to a new math and science teacher, he would be fine. Suggesting this to the principal was met with silence. Finally, she emphatically spoke: “We cannot change teachers! We function using a “team concept”!”
The team concept places each student with a team of teachers. If one teacher needs a little more time on a subject area, they request another teacher within the team to give up some time. In constant contact with each other, team teaching works well for students who are average or above average achievers -- allowing for flexibility. For students who don’t do well, team teaching propagates intractability.
Assuring me that Mrs. Wondercook (not her real name) inspires quality, the principal suggested I observe her teach. I agreed. Wanting to be fair, I devised an evaluation tool to write down what I observed. The next day I journeyed to her classes hoping my suspicions were wrong. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
Mrs. Wondercook knew her subject but not how to teach it. She never looked my sons way. She never called on him or tried to get his attention. Unless a student raised their hand, they were never recognized or brought into the discussion. Brad’s reasons for failure were obvious. My suspicions were realized.
Leaving the classroom, I went to talk to the principal. She asked, “How did your observation go?” When I shared the results, she became angry: “I said you could go and observe, not critique.
You are not qualified to critique!” “Ma’am”, I responded. “I have been teaching education for 20 + years and I know a good teacher when I see one”. From there our conversation went nowhere. The bottom line was: Brad’s class schedule would not be changed.
That evening I called each of the school board. They promised they would look in to it. The next evening they called. The board was willing to change Brad’s entire team but not the two classes. Generally, they would never offer this change had not a precedent been set a few nights before.
Then came my wife’s and my dilemma: Should we change Brad’s entire team when he is making good grades in other subjects? Wouldn’t it be more traumatic in mid year to acclimate to new slate of teachers than to keep him where he is and make the best of it?
We decided on the latter. With a commitment to help Brad as much as we could at home and a determination to visit the school weekly to check on his progress, we felt we could pull him through.
The Positive Results
Mrs. Wondercook, to her credit, got the message. She began paying special attention to Brad. She began giving one on one help. As a result, Brad’s grades began to climb in math and science. We were trilled when he brought home B’s and C’s.
Though positive as this turned out, we are convinced Brad would have failed had I not gotten personally involved. By doing so, I saw the team approach concept as having flaws. It failed miserably with deficient students -- leaving no recourse for change. The responsibility of the teacher is to teach and the student to learn. But it is also the responsibility of the teacher to teach in a way a student can learn. If a teacher fails to tailor their approach to these students, parents are left to fight a system unwilling to change. The end result can be less than positive.
Dos and don’ts in parental involvement:
1. Don’t assume teachers have examined your child’s cumulative file. None of Brad’s teaching team had bothered to look.
2. Do know your rights as parents. You have a right to observe your child in school.
3. Do be kind, considerate, and professional. Genuine concern addressed in a civilized manner reaps rewards.
4. Do your research. Having all the facts is a prerequisite to real transformation.
If your child is failing, get involved. It could be your child is giving less than his best. Once you’ve ruled out your child, go to the teacher and ask why. If their response is unsatisfactory, go
to the principal. The school board should be your final option but don’t hesitate to make contact if you are stonewalled by the principal and teacher. If the system is broke, join your local PTA and
begin to step your way to improvement.
Parents who get involved do make a difference. My experience proves things can change.
Side Bar
If your child is failing, these resources can
assist you:
* National Coalition For Parental Involvement
3929 Old Lee Highway Suite 91 - A Education
Fairfax, VA 22030-2401
1-703-359-8973
* National PTA
330 N. Wabash Avenue, Suite 2100
Chicago, Illinois 60611
1-800-307-4782
http://www.pta.org
* Alliance For Parental Involvement In Education
P.O.Box 59
East Chatham, NY 12060-0059
http://www.croton.com/allpie/
* The Parent Institute
P.O. Box 7474
Fairfax, VA 22039-7474
1-800-756-5525
Note: Team teaching is alive and well. Type in team teaching in any search engine on the Internet and you will see how vast its
acceptance. It’s time to take a new look at the concept.
***************************
Contact Danny R Von Kanel at dannyvk@bellsouth.net. See his new book, "Built by the Owner's Design" at
http://www.DannyVonKanel.kingdomgrowth.com
or http://www.authorsden.com/dannyrvonkanel
This article provided by the Family Content Archives at: http://www.Family-Content.com
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