Dear Editor:
As our young people head back to school, it is time for parents to stop and take a personal inventory of what they can do to support their children’s teachers and administrators during the new school year.
Parents entrust their most precious possession to teachers and school administrators daily and many children spend more time with their teachers than with their own parents. Public educators are asked to perform miracles every day and in most cases they do.
I have spent over 40 years as a teacher and administrator in the public schools of South Carolina and I have seen on a daily basis the positive results parental support can have in the education of our children.
When children know that the home and school are allies in seeing that they reach their highest academic and social potential, then good things happen for them.
As the 2009-10 academic year begins I challenge each parent to do everything in their power to work with their children’s teachers to communicate openly with them on a regular basis and to make education a top priority in their homes and in the lives of their children.
As a former principal, I always told parents that we won’t believe everything your child tells us about you, if you don’t believe everything they tell you about us. If we truly want to improve academic achievement for all of our children, then the home and the school must join forces and make our children more accountable for their behavior and academics.
Parents don’t do their children any favors by rescuing them when they are wrong or blaming the school for their child’s lack of effort. As educators, we need to do a better job of making parents allies.
Next to a child’s moral and religious training, nothing will pay bigger dividends for them or our nation than a relevant education. As adult stakeholders we may express divergent views when it comes to educating children, but we must never fail to keep education a top priority in our homes and nation.
Parents get to know your school family and let your children know that you will be teaming with them throughout the year. Schools get to know the families you serve and together you can make the 2009-10 academic year one of the best every for our children. We owe our children nothing less
Brooks Moore
Hanahan