When Students Fail Teachers Should Be Blamed

MOOT: When students fail teachers should be blamed.
Ladies and gentlemen, fellow judges and my worthy opponents a pleasant good afternoon to you all. I stand here to support my colleagues in opposing the moot, “when students fail teachers should be blamed.” I am here to speak on the lack of parental involvement in children’s education.
Let’s not seek to pass blame onto dedicated hard working teachers, instead let’s make parents more accountable. What is parental involvement? Rockwell, Andre and Hawley 1995, defines parental involvement as the practice of any activity that empowers parents and families to participate in the educational process at home, school or in any other program setting.
It has been said that learning beings at home. The home is where foundations are laid for all later development and learning. School age children spend 70 percent of their waking hours, including weekends and holiday outside of school. Therefore it is no surprise that the family can have a dramatic impact on a child’s learning and academic success. In fact, the greater involvement the greater impact on the child’s achievement. Parents are the first and most powerful role models that children have.
My opponents would have you believe that teachers are the major contributors to student’s academic achievement but there is a large body of evidence to suggest that the impact that parents have on academic success is immeasurable. Granted, there are a few students, who succeed despite their home lives, but most students, need a stable home, and a parent or guardian who stays involved and makes sure their attendance is steady. For far too long many parents have been allowed to get away with their lack of interest and irresponsible attitude toward their children’s education. In an article of the Gleaner July 28, 2011 entitled “parents need to play their part”, an educator stated that approximately 70 percent of their parents live in the community where the school is located. Yet, when they call PTA or parent consultation meetings, it’s a struggle to get even as many as 40 parents to attend and none of the parents, based on their proximity to the school, takes more than ten minutes to walk to school. My opponents do we need to look any further for examples than that situation faced by the school officials. I think not.
Teacher go to the extreme to set early work to reinforce the previous day lesson even when they have to travel some distances, they make the effort. So why can’t the parents, when early work is at no cost to them. Credit must be given to the few parents who ensure that their children make it in for the early work, but some do not take advantage of this generous offering. One of the prime excuses teachers get for students unpunctuality or absenteeism is that they “woke up late”. Who I in charge? Parent or children? I would like to suggest that these parents are derelict in carrying out their duties to get their children to bed on time and get them out to school on time. If parents cannot perform simple duties like these many of them do not deserve to be in custody of children.
Home work! Many teachers utilize homework as a means to reinforce materials taught in the day’s lesson. And I dare to say that many of our students must see the material repeatedly before they adequately grasp it. Too many parents fail to play their part in ensuring that homework is done. Some parents don’t even check the books and they complain no home work is given and the teacher is lazy when indeed it was. While I understand that some of the material maybe challenging for even the parents at time, quite often all it takes is guidance and support.
How can students learn when parents fail to provide the necessary equipment needed for the child’s learning? How do you think they feel when they have to sit and look at student working from a text book, which their parents made no effort to buy? The teacher will often time copy pages from the book for that child, so they don’t feel left out. Granted, not every parent can afford the necessary materials. While there are those who make excuses that they have no money, the worthless puppa nah mine dem and a me alone. These are the same parents who you see in the most expensive outfit going to a vybz cartel dance plus the entrance fee.
Almost every day in the papers, on the radio on the street, in our homes we hear statements about poor parenting, the under achievement of our children in schools, and often the perceived relationship between the two. An article in the Daily Gleaner a senior ministry official speaking to the public forum in effect held up a stick in one hand, aimed at the negligent, parents who don’t see to their children’s educational, attendance and needs, and an invitation in the other for parents to become more involved in their children’s school and educational life to their mutual benefit. My opponent we must remember or slogan for education “Every Child Can Learn and Every Child Must Learn.
Parents need to keep lines of communication open with teachers and administrators; ask your child what he or she has learned each day; check that home work is completed; provide meaningful praise for effort and the continuous opportunity to extend lessons of interest outside the classroom. I advocate that the relevant bodies – be it the National Parent Teacher Association of Jamaica, board chairmen, members of Parliament, senator, school principals- speedily come together and draft legislation that will bring delinquent parents in line. More time should be spent in parliament dealing with critical issues like these if our nation is to take its rightful place in the global village.