United Not Divided, Parents & Teachers

For most parents, there is a certain amount of consideration that goes through their minds when it comes to who has access to their children. Most parents want to know who their children are playing with and what the parents are like. When leaving their kids with a babysitter, there is a certain level of caution that is taken to make sure that the individual is trustworthy.

So what about your child’s teacher? This coming school year there will be people in the lives of your kids and grandkids that have full access to shape the way they think and how they view the world. Do you know what kind of ideas they will be most likely to discuss? For many people, the perspective is that the teacher is the authority, but the reality is, they are not. Mom and Dad, you are the authority in your kid's lives. Teachers actually work for you. They are paid by YOUR tax dollars and hired to help YOU educate YOUR kids. Not that you own them or get to dictate everything thing they do but they should be held accountable for how they do their job. They should know that you exist and that you are involved in your child’s life and education. There are some extremely simple ways to keep in touch with the teachers that are instructing your children.

Go to back to school night, introduce yourself to the teachers. Additionally, I would encourage you to ask them 4 simple but straightforward questions. (1) Ask them what they believe the role and responsibility of a teacher is. (2) Ask them about their opinion on Critical Race Theory. (3) Ask about their view on teaching transgenderism in the classroom. (4) Ask them what they think about freedom of speech in the classroom and if your child will be free to ask questions and share opinions? If you are not able to attend in person, send them an email. Most teachers are more than willing to communicate with parents and educators who are not or who are intimidated by accountability might be the ones who need it the most.

Keep in mind, none of this should be done to try and intimidate or critique educators, they have an incredibly demanding and at times, difficult job. They should however know that parents are watching, that parents care, and that they should stay focused on reading, writing, and arithmetic.

Lastly, don’t forget to encourage them throughout the year. Sometimes we are good at being loud when things are not going good and then silent when things are going well. The true but sad reality that, “no news is good news.” Why not encourage the good things that happen throughout the year? Send an email of encouragement or a gift card for coffee. Be a caring eye but also an encouraging voice. So that business does not extinguish good intentions, actually put reminders on your calendar to check in throughout the year.