Comments on: 12 Elementary Schools To Add Extra Hour Due To Low Reading Scores

By: ProudArmyParent

ProudArmyParent — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 12:54:19 +0000

Kandy,
Nothing was meant personaly! I haven’t a clue who you are or what your disability might be. ALL parents “teach” their children. Whether they teach garbege or not is up to the parent.
What I was talking about had nothing to to do with parents with disabilities (i.e. possibly yours), it has to do with the time and the productive teaching a parent gives their children. Sitting on a couch watch TV or playing video games with a child is not productive learning (i.e garbage in). What the child perceive it as “is it’s ok to do.’ I’m not saying that we shouldn’t play video games or or watch TV with our children (God know we must with what is on TV and is made into video games now a days, but that is a whole other subject). What I’m saying is children watch parents when they see a parent doing something day after day they is that as important and what should be done. So if we want to our children to understand that reading is a valuable tool we must teach them by example.

When our children enter school it is not the teacher’s job to start that process of instilling the value of education in our children. That process should have been started at home from the cradle. Not 4 or 5 years after birth, because by then teachers are having to re-teach (i.e. garbage out), and that is not something that a teacher should have to do.

So if you took my first comment as a belittlement it was not meant in that attitude ! the comment was from a parent and a former teacher who is applauld by children coming to school thinking that it doesn’t matter if I learn to read and education is not important (after all my parents “get by” just fine and they don’t read!) Is that what we want, our children just to “get by?” I want better for mine, as I’m sure you do for yours! For the good or for the bad, LEARNING BEGINS AT HOME!

By: Kandy

Kandy — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 20:42:10 +0000

@ prouarmyparent GIGO…I have always known that is how the teachers see my child after they meet me and see I am not as smart as the other parents. Please know if I would have been informed before having children of my own learning disabilities I would not have continued the garbage cycle.

By: ProuArmyParent

ProuArmyParent — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 12:13:26 +0000

Kandy, you are so wrong! A parent is a child’s first formative teacher. Good or bad they first learn what is important in life from their parents. If a parent isn’t interest in teaching their children to read, the child most times will show a lack of interest also. If children see his parents read, then children will want to be read to and will one day want to show the parent they can do it also. If children see their parents always playing video games, acting as couch potatoes in front of a TV set or just plain waste away a day, the child will be more adapt to do the same. Children learn from their parents. it is up to us as parents to set the example to what is important in life, from there teachers can build on a good foundation. Without that foundation teachers have to try to restructure a child’s thinking before doing any real teaching! You’ve heard the expression GIGO? Garbage in, Garbage out. That expression has valid thinking!

By: kandy

kandy — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 03:07:21 +0000

Yes it is the parents responsibility. But it is also the schools teachers get paid to teach our school districts get money to teach. Teachers complain about school vouchers but then complain classes are to large or parents are not doing enough. After reading some comments I am thinking I should have got a voucher for my child because public education is so stressful for children.

By: Me

Me — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 01:31:32 +0000

Oh how easily we fall for the shell game. If the extra hour will benefit the student then why are we hobbling the students from Helen Caro, Pleasant Grove or Blue Angels? Do they not deserve the same free and appropriate education?! Take a map of Pensacola and put a pin on each of the extended hour schools….curious it seems they are all extremely close. No education reform will counter a lack of good solid parenting!

By: THE DOER

THE DOER — Tue, 29 Jul 2014 16:51:19 +0000

Bob C., I agree with you completely. So many people just have children and expect the teachers to be miracle-workers. It all starts at home. It would be interesting to see of the 12 schools listed in Escambia County, FL, what is the percentage of single-parenting families, working parents, poverty levels, etc. Why does this matter, you may ask? It does matter. Being poor does not give parents the right to negate their responsibilities in helping their children become successful adults, especially through education. Working two jobs does not either. There are consequences to all actions. You can be a single parent and still be at the top of your child’s educational experience.
Secondly, how is our county or state going to fund this? This is an extra hour’s worth of instruction. Will the teachers be paid? This will affect bus routes and times. Does this mean bus drivers will now be backtracking on their routes (more gas), etc.? Who is picking up the tab for this?
Also, how long before “A” school haters holler discrimination and demand that ALL elementary schools go an hour longer?
These are some things we should consider.

By: Bob C

Bob C — Tue, 29 Jul 2014 14:05:48 +0000

Reading is the cornerstone of education.

Yes, many have indeed been very successful in their work and been good people in the community and their families without having the ability to read. That is just how it was.

Reading to me is a parent’s responsibility to start reading to and teaching their children to read from infancy. That is along with numbers, colors, shapes and many other learned skills. Home is where it all begins.

Our schools have young children coming in who have never been taught the alphabet or numbers or even colors and shapes.

Extending the school day may help with the reading skills but it will never replace what should have taken place in the homes of the kids….Early Education begins shortly after being born and learning continues our entire life.

I support the longer days of school.
I would rather think it has to do with helping the students gain a good foundation for all else in their learning lives.
I am not really satisfied that the longer days are for the purpose of raising scores.

Parents, it is part of your job to prepare your kids.