Two Mondays ago, we concluded our lectures on schools through the eyes of several different perspectives: teachers, administrators, school board members, and (finally) parents. I thought this lecture was very interesting, yet not very helpful to me.
It was very interesting to hear the parents thoughts on No Child Left Behind and how that affected school conferences. All the people in the other lectures seemed to accept -- if not somewhat endorse -- NCLB. The parents, however, had a very different take. They thought it took time away from their individual child. It sort of grouped all children together in a large category, instead of looking at an individual student's needs. As a teacher, I need to work especially hard to make sure parents don't feel this way.
I felt that, overall, the lecture was not particularly helpful to me, however, because I grew up in an environment where my parents and other adults were very open on their school views. I know, coming from a middle class area, how parents generally react to certain issues. I also understand what parents expect from the people who teach their children.
It would have been more beneficial if there were more diverse parents at the lecture -- perhaps a parent whose student goes to a school in Postville! I do not know the expectations of parents whose students are a minority in the schools. I assume it would be the same as any parent, but I don't want to jump to conclusions. I expect they would want to make sure I, as a teacher, am not discriminatory in any way, grade fairly, etc.
Overall, it was nice to hear from the parents, but I wish they had been from different cultural, social, or even racial backgrounds.
