Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Let's Put Some Responsibility on the Students

So says Kelly Flynn, an education columnist with the Flint (Mich.) Journal.

Her column, which appeared in her paper over the weekend, comes at time when Washington state students are on the cusp of graduating with the most rigorous graduation requirements in state history (though some take issue with that, too). Says Flynn in her column:

Let's put some responsibility back on the student.

See, what we seem to forget is that it's all there for the taking. If you want an education in this country, you can have it. The information, textbooks, workbooks, journals, reference books, videos, technology and lab equipment are available, to one degree or another, in every single school.

Is this up-by-the-bootstraps, tough love approach on the mark or off the charts?

1 comment:

Shelly Larson, M.Ed. said...

I agree, but go further in adminishing our parents for not taking back their kids' education and for schools not accepting it when parents do. As a school leader, I have spent a lot of time wishing for parents to participate in their children's school planning. Now that I am a college Dean, I hear from my students that they were given way too much freedom in choosing their class schedules. One of them said, "I didn't want to be pushed, but if I had been, I would have done it. It just seemed like I wasn't important enough." As a parent, when I have gone into my son's school to talk about scheduling I usually get the standard, "If we make that change for you, we'll have to make that change for everyone." To which I respond, "Then maybe you should." As I look at returning to P-12 education, one of the strategies I will bring with me comes from my college students. I will no longer settle for the basics. I will push parents to get involved, insist taht my staff and faculty allow them to get involved, and push the students to take charge but accept help.