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In Michigan’s Wayne County, prosecutor Kym Worthy plans to meet this month with the Detroit City Council to discuss an ordinance she’s proposing to require parents to attend conferences. The most severe penalty would be three days in jail. It troubles her when she hears of Detroit schools that have 300 students, and just two parents will show up for conferences. A lack of parental involvement often leads to truancy, which leads to crime, says Ms. Worthy. She knows her proposal may be challenged by civil libertarians, “but at least we’ll get the conversation started.”That's going to be one short conversation.
How Would You Grade Parent-Teacher Conferences
by Jeffrey Zaslow
Wall Street Journal
October 6, 2010, 9:40 AM ET
Number one: yes, indeed, civil libertarians are going to object. Strenuously.
Number two: do they teach logic in law school?
Number three: perhaps prosecutor Kym Worthy should ask teachers whether they want parents showing up for parent-teacher meetings on pain of arrest and incarceration.
And that pretty much covers it.
Next.
let's not and say we did
let's not and say we did, part 2
let's not and say we did, part 3
5 comments:
Kym doesn't go far enough; the parents should be put to death.
Come now, death is so extreme. Wouldn't forced sterilization do the job just as well?
It is very unfair to assume that not showing up at a conference indicates a lack of parental involvement. Many low income parents have to work long hours to survive. I'm sure many see little point in losing a few hours of pay for something they may not think is particularly helpful.
Wouldn't it make more sense to focus on the parents of kids who show up to school hungry or who never have their homework done? That would definitely indicate neglect.
Should the school be forced to do the parents' job when the parents don't? Who is responsible for a child's education? If they really wanted parents to attend, they'd provide a meal and childcare.
I'm trying to think of any time I
a.) learned something really new about my child at a conference that I could do something about... (His writing is messy, he needs to slow down...)
or
b.) anytime as a teacher that I imparted vital information to a parent in a 15 minute conference.
There are no quick fixes.
Will teachers be required to attend 11PM meetings for parents who work extended hours? Will they be subject to prosecution, too?
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