Parenting Part One:

The other day when I was riding my bike on a back road near Boerne, Tx. I came across a tremendous example of parenting. I saw a deer jump a fence and run across in front of my bike. I glanced over to my right and saw three or four other deer standing next to the fence. A car was approaching from the other direction and I said to myself and aloud at the same time, "Don't you other deer run across the road now or I'll be looking at some roadkill". They didn't move but stood there looking at the bottom of the fence. I glanced back and I saw a baby deer or 'Bambi' as my wife would have called it with it's right hind leg caught in the fence dangling helplessly from the fence and wailing in pain. I dismounted my bike and ran over to the fence. The other deer ran off into the field and I watched them circle in the field and effortlessly launch themselves over the fence about a hundred yards down the road. As I got closer to the baby deer I saw that it's leg was indeed caught not once, but twice, wrapped throughout the wire. There was a deep gash on it's leg where it had tried to free itself from danger. I talked to the deer, patted it's head, brushed it's flank with my hand and reassured it I would do anything I could with the resources I had to get it out of it's mess.

I started to move it's leg out of the wire but it was so caught up in the wire it made it difficult to move without breaking the leg. It cried out in pain several times. I heard a huffing and puffing behind me and as I turned around I noticed a female deer standing across the road from me, making threatening motions with its' feet and sounds from it's mouth. They were all directed at me. She thought I was going to harm her young one. I worked on the wire and pulled the baby deer up and finally after a few minutes I was able to move the baby free. To my delight the 'Bambi' ran off into the field with a full gallop looking no worse for the wear. As soon as the baby took off the mother deer circled back across the road, leapt over the fence and sought out her offspring so as to comfort and take care of it. I was pleased.

What does this have to do with education? As teachers we have been given the role of "in loco parentis". We see great parents like the doe who stood her ground and protected her young one from what she perceived as a villain. We see great parents who like the doe who comfort and nourish their young when times are tough. On the other hand we see those who do neither and then we have to step in. As I have progressed in my 38 years of teaching I have seen many changes that I don't feel that comfortable with regarding parenting skills.

Parents are a part of the triumvirate that makes education click: student, parent, teacher. Each has an integral role in the process. Parenting is the toughest of all three. As I see it there are two things we do the most in life, but have the least experience and education for, loving someone and raising a child. We have trouble with both, especially the latter since we only have the role models of our own parents (and we know that those are often less than perfect) and a few 'expertly' written manuals on the subject. There is no course in school that helps us be a good parent that is required by law. Perhaps there should be. So from the beginning parents are behind the proverbial '8-ball' and have to a lot of catching up on their own lack of learning on the subject and tend to do an abundance of 'trial and error' learning as they fly by the seat of their pants. No wonder we have so many issues with parenting as educators.

In the next few blogs I would like to address different aspects of parenting. Please feel free to share your experinces with parenting from the viewpoint of either educator, student or parent.

Just Retired

I just retired from teaching after 38 years. I've seen it all. Not only did I teach 28 of those years in the United States but also 10 years in Canada. I taught 14 years in high schools and 24 years in middle schools. I have taught lower level(special education and learning lab) classes and worked the last 11 years as a gifted and talented specialist. I have designed new courses and developed numbers of curricula ideas. I coached in both countries for awhile and have worked as a consultant. I also have traveled Europe for 38 years and have studied education systems in many other countries.

I think this qualifies me to write this blog. I see so much good in the school system but I also have seen so much 'wrong'. I would like to get other educators, parents and students' ideas on what they think is RIGHT and also what they see as WRONG with education today. This is why I entitled this blog "If I Ran the Schools". Hasn't everyone wanted to do that some day.I feel I could address, with your help, topics such as: respect, dumbing down, discipline, unfit parenting,
parent involvement, reinventing the wheel, differentiation, teacher training, money, waste etc. There is so much to address here.

Over the next while we will address these topics. No school system can 'get back' at me or at you. Write in with your ideas and suggestions for topics to be covered. It will be an open forum and you can remain anonymous if you so desire.