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It may be rare in your neck of the woods, but most of my students come from families that have to piece together a number of part-time jobs without benefits such as personal or sick leave. The ends don't always meet, no matter how determined you are. Be thankful if you don't know what I mean.
Whether it's rare or not for a low-income single parent two work 2 or 3 jobs is beside the point. People like that who have found a way to provide for their family will find a way to meet with the teacher or pick up the report card, and the teacher and school will work with them. In other words, these people already care about their children and don't need the bribe. The ones who do need to be bribed to show up at the school will take the money and run.
I'm confused. Parents are required to pick up report cards at the school, and at a certain time where there are lines to come in the classroom? I am sure that I am more involved in my kids education than the school would like, and I would have a problem with that. I would think a more convenient system would be set up for those with limited resources, be that time or money.
The article does not say that. I'm sure the report cards are either mailed home or sent home with the children and the parents don't bother looking at them. The $25 idea is to get parents to come in, thus proving they saw the report card. My opinion is, they will take the $25 and not look at the report card anyway.
Parent-teacher conferences can be scheduled any time the parent(s) and teacher can meet. Handing out $25 for that is another waste of taxpayer money.
The idea that people can't make time for their children unless they are financially compensated is idiotic.
I make about $30/hour as a teacher in a low-paying state. If I had to miss three hours with no pay, that's $90. I couldn't afford to do it, as the bills have to be paid. After deductions take half my check, there is never any discretionary income--every dollar is spent on the basics. I'm hoping that the economy keeps improving so that we can loosen our belts.
If I made $8/hour, the $24 that I would miss to attend conferences would be missed even more than I would miss my $90. Maybe people who make $100/hour have enough discretionary income that they wouldn't miss $300, but that's a lot more than my students' parent make in a week, sometimes two.
A better point is that most of the students whose parents are working that hard are doing just fine in class. It's the children of the layabouts without jobs who are more likely to cut up in class. There is no order anywhere else in their lives, so they quite naturally buck against the order imposed on them at school. Their parents might just be influenced enough by a $25 Walgreen's gift card to take the time to come into the schools. That would thrill me! They are the parents that I would almost pay money to see!
I hope that Walgreen's will challenge other American firms to live up to the call by Republicans to help promote the general welfare through private means rather than by redistribution through taxes. I can think of lots of areas, not just in education, where corporate giving could make a huge difference in making us a stronger nation.
I am sure the conferences are announced in advance and hours could be juggled, shifts traded, etc.
Quit making excuses for people. If they wanted it they could get it.
I think that makes it clear that you do not know the situation I am talking about. Employers for these parents do not allow shift swaps and hour shifts; either the employee works their assigned hours and gets paid or the employee does not work and does not get paid. Other employees have zero-incentive to swap hours, as they will receive extra pay by no swapping hours.
Especially at the hours that conferences are held, you are normally talking about assembly, retail, fast food, and driving taxis. None of those industries allow employees to shift swap and move hours anymore.
Parent-teacher conferences can be scheduled any time the parent(s) and teacher can meet.
In the 1950s when teachers were required to be spinsters with no social life and there did not have to be security guards on campus during these meetings. Allowing this would do nothing but add hundreds of hours outside the teacher's normal work hours, because I guarantee you teachers would be required to show up for demanded conferences at 10 pm, 11 pm, and 12 am before third shift starts and after second shift gets out. Or 3-5 am around the splits for evening shift.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jtab4994
Handing out $25 for that is another waste of taxpayer money.
The gift cards are donated. None of it comes out of taxpayer money (other than the tax deduction for the donating companies).
In the 1950s when teachers were required to be spinsters with no social life and there did not have to be security guards on campus during these meetings. Allowing this would do nothing but add hundreds of hours outside the teacher's normal work hours, because I guarantee you teachers would be required to show up for demanded conferences at 10 pm, 11 pm, and 12 am before third shift starts and after second shift gets out. Or 3-5 am around the splits for evening shift.
The gift cards are donated. None of it comes out of taxpayer money (other than the tax deduction for the donating companies).
Your first point is a little silly. No teacher would be required to show up at 3AM for a conference.
I agree that it's good the gift cards would be donated.
A better point is that most of the students whose parents are working that hard are doing just fine in class. It's the children of the layabouts without jobs who are more likely to cut up in class. There is no order anywhere else in their lives, so they quite naturally buck against the order imposed on them at school. Their parents might just be influenced enough by a $25 Walgreen's gift card to take the time to come into the schools. That would thrill me! They are the parents that I would almost pay money to see!
I hope that Walgreen's will challenge other American firms to live up to the call by Republicans to help promote the general welfare through private means rather than by redistribution through taxes. I can think of lots of areas, not just in education, where corporate giving could make a huge difference in making us a stronger nation.
It sets a bad precedent. The original pilot program is for 70 "bad" schools. How many schools are in Chicago? Will Walgreens support them all? For how long? What grades does it cover? What, only $25? What about paying parents to show up at other school events? Walgreens can do whatever they want with their money but if the program becomes successful what happens if they pull out for any reason?
Walgreen's is not the first corporation to give to charity. Other American firms large, small and medium, already support charities in many ways including in education. Imagine how wide the gap between rich and poor without corporate giving. And remember also the remaining blue dog Democrats (including famously Bill Clinton in the 90's) perpetually call for welfare reform.
In the 1950s when teachers were required to be spinsters with no social life and there did not have to be security guards on campus during these meetings. Allowing this would do nothing but add hundreds of hours outside the teacher's normal work hours, because I guarantee you teachers would be required to show up for demanded conferences at 10 pm, 11 pm, and 12 am before third shift starts and after second shift gets out. Or 3-5 am around the splits for evening shift..
One year my school district was really on a mission to accommodate parents for TEP conferences and parent conferences. Administrators told us that it was essential for teachers to "work around" the parents schedules. That it is vital for the school to involve parents, we want every parent to attend conferences, etc. etc.. Although, i do not believe that any parent tried to set up a 10 PM conference, many parents requested 7 AM or 5 PM conferences (adding an hour or two to that teacher's work day).
I had one IEP conference that the case manager set up for 7 PM (because the mother worked until 6:30 PM). After an hour and a half conference and a half hour paperwork and discussion with other team members I was finally able to go home a little after 9 PM.
But, that's not the point of my post.
By coincidence, that year my son's high school was trying out only holding day time conferences (usually, conferences were from noon to 8 PM) and they were 8 AM to 4 PM. That was my exact work day.
So I went to my principal to ask for time off to pick up my son's report card and to talk to his teachers. My principal was speechless. He said "you can't leave in the middle of the school day you have students.", "can't your husband go instead of you?". I then parroted back everything that administration had told us "that it is vital to involve parents. etc." So he, reluctantly agreed to let me leave during the work day to conference with my son's teachers.
That opened a floodgate of other teachers requesting release time to go to their children's conferences.
(BTW we had to arrange for our own class coverage with other teachers or staff members, but we could leave)
It may have been a coincidence but the next year administration didn't push as hard to work around every parents schedule.
Last edited by germaine2626; 11-03-2012 at 10:38 AM..
I think that makes it clear that you do not know the situation I am talking about. Employers for these parents do not allow shift swaps and hour shifts; either the employee works their assigned hours and gets paid or the employee does not work and does not get paid. Other employees have zero-incentive to swap hours, as they will receive extra pay by no swapping hours.
Especially at the hours that conferences are held, you are normally talking about assembly, retail, fast food, and driving taxis. None of those industries allow employees to shift swap and move hours anymore.
I've seen teachers doing parent conferences at 6pm in school and also phone conferences later in the evening from home.
Parents who care will ask. Teachers who care will adapt.
How can you make up excuses for these people when you have no clue why they don't show up ?
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