<p>In today’s NYT, there is a story about a teacher in an upscales suburban district who grades students, in part, on how well the PARENTS do the homework. I was totally floored! </p>
<p>Seems to me a total confusion of roles. As parents, our job is to make sure our kids are doing the homework, the teacher is up to snuff, the curriculum is appropriate, etc etc. Seems to me that this also infantilizes grown people, turning baby boomers into teenagers again. ( If I wanted to relive my youth, this is sure as hell not the way I’d choose to do it!) Its just too, too condescending. As one mother in here said: “I’ve done high school already.” The point is to make sure kids take responsibility for themselves in school, and this does just the opposite. </p>
<p>Isn’t this just way over the top? Don’t understand why the good people of upscale, affluent Montclair NJ haven’t gotten rid of this teacher, who seems to have his head up his butt. Or am I overreacting?</p>
<p>The idea of parents being involved with their children’s education is good, however mandating homework assignments is over the top. Sounds like the teacher is very good, otherwise. I think he’s got a little bit of a control issue going on. I wonder if he has kids.</p>
<p>I’m shocked that people support this guy. I’m having trouble finding words for how appalling I find this. Ridiculous implementation of a good concept (parents being involved in their kids’ education).</p>
<p>We talk about helicopter parents a lot…this is a pretty blatant encouragement of helicopter parenting.</p>
<p>Well, at least there’s the “out” - the kids whose parents flat out refuse (that would be me!) don’t get penalized. </p>
<p>He’s not only infantilizing the parents, he’s extending the childhood of the kids - when do they get to take responsibility for completing their own work? Wait until they get to college, so they can fail at several tens of thousands of dollars a pop?</p>
<p>My kid had her job and I had mine. I don’t ask her to do my job, and she (and her teacher) shouldn’t ask me to do hers.</p>
<p>It is fine to suggest that parents read the books their kids are reading so they can discuss them. But to require parental participation in a blog is too much, even though it may have some good effects. </p>
<p>I imagine many parents are complaining, but not to the teacher, for fear of hurting their child in the class. </p>
<p>There are, of course, many ways in which parents are asked to participate in their kids’ educations. Even when their kids are in kindergarten, parents may be asked to read with their child for a certain amount of time each day. Logs of this reading may need to be maintained. </p>
<p>But once kids are reading on their own, this is no longer necessary (even though it may still be a good thing!) </p>
<p>I do think I recall when my kids were in middle school parents were asked to serve as one of the early editors of some major writing project. The kids also had peer editors and eventually the teacher commented on the writing. But that was a one-time thing.</p>
<p>Anyhow, I think opening this up to parents who wish to participate is fine, but not requiring it.</p>
<p>I would lose my mind if my kids’ teachers asked me to do this. I find something so smug and overbearing about this man and the concept. I’m already in a major fit of annoyance about the letter I received from the department of education demanding proof of vision care and the completion of a very intrusive dental form. By way of background, the child is visually impaired and receives the best possible care and it’s none of any bureaucrats’ business. I tore both forms into pieces and filed them.</p>
<p>Encouraging parental participation and informing them what is going on in class and with assignments can be a good thing. Requiring it? No, that is over the top. Sharing with parents and approaching education as a team effort, can be good. The homework is the kids’ responsibility. Parents can assist if they desire and it is nice to be informed and communication between school and home is important. Requiring parents to do assignments is just over the top. Optional involvement is another thing and can be positive, in fact. There is a happy medium.</p>
<p>Ahhh…Only in Montclair. Sometimes the Montclair school system is just too clever for its own good. </p>
<p>While it is impressive that Mr. Frye is interested enough to read the parents’ blogs, I find the whole idea fraught with problems. It is really hard to believe that the uncooperative parents’ failure to blog would not impact Frye’s perception of their kids. I’m sure the ESL kids are given a break, but I think Frye is trying to play God here. Teach the subject matter well, hopefully inspire them, and diligently grade their work. Leave the parents out of this. Reading or returning to the works of literature your kids are assigned is a wonderful idea. But chatting about the works with your kids shouldn’t have to involve the teacher.</p>
<p>I majored in English & love to see my D discovering some of my old favorites. We virtually never agree on books, though. We did both agree on her latest —Beowulf. Pure Torture. Beowulf is now a movie, with Angelina Jolie playing Grendel’s mom. I am not making this up.</p>
<p>But maybe it’s me, you know? Because the Montclair, upscale approach annoys me, but the pilot program of paying parents to parent here in New York seems just as smug and overbearing to me.</p>
<p>I basically reacted the same way as everyone else when I read it. I don’t, though, see it as asking parents to do the kids’ homework, as some have suggested here. It is apparently a separate action, not a replacement of the work by the kid.</p>
<p>However, if it was me, I’d definitely refuse, just because it truly is a control thing, and i don’t like being manipulated by the teacher (who I agree comes off as very smug.) I might do the reading on my own, without letting the teacher know.</p>
<p>but I also wonder how much refusal actually affects how he views the student.</p>
<p>This is why I live in the working class town next to Montclair, instead of in Montclair (that, and the insane taxes.)</p>
<p>Yes, these are definitely separate assignments for parents. I like to read, but for my entire school career, hated the academic approach to reading - trying to find the “themes” and the whole methodology of literary analysis - couldn’t stand it! (My apologies to the English majors out there!) So much so that I opted out of English Literature classes at the first opportunity - I took all the theater courses I could instead. So after graduating from the 22nd grade (counting college & graduate degrees), there’s no way I’d do it again!</p>
<p>Two things that really scare me - 1) This teacher has enough time on his hands not only to create a curriculum for students, but one for parents, and can grade or otherwise evaluate two sets of homework.
2) The educational powers that be think this is a good idea and hope to have it spread!</p>
<p>I agree with those who support it as an optional concept for those parents who have time and interest. Adjusting the kid’s grade is silly. Although, we all know it happens every day - We’ve all had kids who’s project got downgraded because they did it without help, or who’s parent wasn’t willing to spend the money. The kid who turns in the 4-color mini-book published by daddy gets a better grade than the kid who wrote his essay on college-rule in longhand. This guy is just a bit more upfront about it.</p>
<p>I have had teachers who expected parental involvement. I had a foster kid who was behind in reading. The teacher wanted me to read with her for 30 mintues a day, and I was supposed to chart it. I had 5 kids. If I spent 30 mintues reading to that kid, that meant I didn’t spend time talking with her, or helping her with other homework, or taking her to the psychologist or to the Y… I only stretch so far. But when I turned in less perfect results, it was made clear that my foster daughter’s slower progress was my fault.</p>
<p>It isn’t that bad of an idea. Why? because the vast majority of parents DON’T involve themselves in their kids education. They leave it to somebody else. I know, I know most of you will post how you spend X amount of time with your kids and how dare somebody require anything… But? look around, really look around. Are you the exception or the rule in your school system? </p>
<p>Parent-teacher conferences, open houses, how well attended? (crickets in the background). </p>
<p>Being married to a long time excellent educator (30 years) I’ve had the opportunity to witness education for more than my own kids. A big factor on why a quarter of our kids don’t graduate can be traced back to the lack of involvement at home from parents. A big factor in the success of students can be traced back to the home AND the involvement of parents. How many of you here do the very minimal for your kids? How many other families do you see where you can’t understand why the parents aren’t involved?</p>
<p>Is the idea the best since sliced bread? no. However, I do give it kudos for trying to get a few more parents involved in what their kids are learning.</p>
<p>While we wait for Bill Gates to solve the education crisis in this country by selling us more software ;)… simple ideas can and will improve education. Something as simple as books in the household can make a huge difference in the success of a young student. You have to remember, it isn’t about you, it’s about the kids that don’t have you folks as parents.</p>
<p>Personally, one of my best educational experiences with my D was watching “inhierit the wind” for an english class at home. Never seen it prior and it gave us many hours of conversation about a school project that pulled me into her class activities. A little bit more than “how was your day hon?” </p>
<p>So I’m not against the idea. I could see where it could be insulting, especially if I already am involved with my child’s education, but really, look around parents like us aren’t the majority.</p>
<p>“The uninvolved parents are unlikely to do it and their kids will have to suffer the consequences”</p>
<p>I know, but do we give up then? Could it be possible that it adds a few more parents to light side rather than the dark side? For some people, a consequence is the only thing that gets them off their butts. Maybe they itch about it, but they do it. </p>
<p>Now that I’ve watched hundreds maybe thousands of kids grow up (through spouse’s teaching and my decades of coaching) I don’t think it’s that bad of an idea. Far too many kids already have grown up with minimal parental involvement. This guy’s idea really isn’t that bad.</p>
<p>At least he’s trying. He’s young and he hasn’t learned yet that in many cases the kid’s already dead in the water. The system hasn’t beaten him down yet. All he is trying to do is get a parent involved in what their kid is learning. Again, not perfect, but not all that bad either if you think about it.</p>