Whose responsibility is it?

itwillallbefine — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 02:15:41 -0500

As usual in the news there is some wombat spouting off about how society is falling apart, and it's the young, and the schools that are at fault because teachers are not doing their job properly.

I take exception to that.

As a teacher of 7-9yr olds, I would love to take responsibility for the children I have.

If I did, they would be at school on time, having had breakfast, a
wash, some clean clothes, and their hair brushed and de-loused. Their
homework would be done, they would have read to an adult who gave a
damn and could read themselves, and they would be keen to learn.

During school time they would listen, write what they thought about,
have the freedom to think without having had the tv mash their brains
for them, or having been up until 10pm on the DS or XBox360 playing
games rated 18. They would know how to respect other children, adults,
school property, and their own clothes. They would know how to dress
themselves and have the PE kit to change into.

After school they would be fed, played with, helped with homework and
eventually put to bed no later than 7.30 after a warm bath and hairwash
and nitcombing.

And then we'd start all over again in the morning.

I can do it with my son and teach full time, and work evenings on
school work, so why can't 63% of the parents in my class? (Yeah, I
worked out the stat myself!)

I would love to take responsibility - but heaven forbit I even point at
a child these days, in case I am invading their personal space.

But if I don't because I can't, and the parents don't because they won't, then who will? Well certainly not the social, because they are over stretched as it is, and their attitude is that at least the child is at school, has clothes on, and is fed (yes, at school!)

The parent's won't because they either can't through drink and drugs, have more children than money, or in some cases just don't know how to parent properly. Too many parents want to be the child's friend instead of their parent, negotiate and then capitulate rather than set firm boundaries, feed a child processed rubbish instead of cooking properly (usually because they don't know how to cook either!)

So who takes responsibility in the end? Well, no one. Not even the child themselves, because they've been brought up that nothing is their fault, there is always someone else to blame, and usually, they fall back on the schools.

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Whose responsibility is it?