Education Agenda - Unrealistic Expectations and Lack of Personal Responsibility Have Built-In Failures

[N'Zinga Shani]

OneWorld's EDUCATION AGENDA: Unrealistic Expectations and Lack of Personal Responsibility Have Built-In Failures

In the short ConnCAN video presentation linked in this blog the parents are all voicing their expectations of “Super Mayor” Toni Harp; they are telling what she should do to ensure their children’s education and future success in life. 

Nowhere in this 1:40 video is there a single statement of commitment about what these parents are going to do to aid in or to ensure their children’s academic success. Of course, we expect that they will work with their children. However, in voicing their expectations of the Mayor, it is also important to voice their own commitment and their expectations of all involved.

There are no questions about what they might do to help their children be successful! It is all about the Mayor, whose number one job is to administer the entire City. Of course, this includes the Board of Education; it also includes all the other agencies in the City of New Haven.  Without voicing a word of personal responsibility, these parents have the following expectations:

1. “Toni Harp should close the educational gap and help our African American students be more successful so that they can compete in this world.”
2. “Toni Harp should hold teachers more accountable for their performance.”
3. “Would LOVE Toni Harp to improve magnet schools for my two children and their future.”
4. “I would also love for my kids and the other kids in NH to be more prepared and to go to college and be successful in the future because they deserve it and our City needs it.”

 What are these parents doing to ensure that their children arrive at school prepared to learn?

To quote Dr. Edward Joyner “Teachers cannot teach defiant children, and they cannot teach children who do not show up.” 

1. Parents need to take responsibility for their children being in school.

2. Children need to arrive at school prepared to learn; that is the responsibility of the parents.

3. Parents are their children’s first teachers. Teach them the value of education. 

4. Teach them to love learning.  Read to or with them for even 20 mins daily.

5. Give them books rather than video games.  See to it that your children have library cards.

6. Buy Words with Friends rather than Xbox.

a) Spend a little time playing Words with Friends together;

b) this will help everyone in the family to expand their vocabulary.  Tell your children daily that education is vital to their success in life. Demonstrate that you value learning; seize learning opportunities; talk to your children about neighborhood issues; encourage them to think critically about basic decisions.

7. Ask what they learn in school each day. Take an interest in their learning activities; monitor their reports and activity sheets.

8. You don't have to know how to solve the Math problem to be able to help your child. Ask questions; help the child to think through and do research on homework assignments.

9. Turn off the TV and make certain that all school assignments are completed in a timely manner. 

10.  If your child is in Pre-K - "A" is for Apple; what else does "A" stands for?

11. In the OneWorld Parent/Teacher Team-Building Workshop linked below, parents talk about children earning education-dollars if they want to watch television.  

 

http://youtu.be/QmGseD3dN3c Parents voice their expectations of Toni Harp.

A 1-hr program http://youtu.be/b_vjtSflhe0 - Parents & Teachers, Working Together, Help Students' Succeed

http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/harp_first_school_board/