Proactive Parenting

Sandy Hingston created a hotly contested and provocative article. I had some mixed feeling about the comments she makes but I agree with some things that she presented in her article. Among the many topics I'm going to cover is parenting, teaching, working with children, and once again, the importance of arts.

I've had the amazing opportunity in life to have great parents, that have exposed me to everything that was within their reach. From the time I was 4 until the present, both my parents have exposed me to arts, history, science, construction, food, and more importantly love. Without my mom, in particular, I wouldn't have been exposed to arts. This raises a question about parenting and how to really raise a child.

There are parents, who, due to certain circumstances in their life, have to work two and three jobs to support their family and can't be home with their child or some live with grandparents, who may not know culture. But I think that some basic things about the world can be learned at home. Parents,such as mine, can have children learn math by teaching them how to use the metric system when cooking or the measuring tape when measuring the wall to paint the house. I think that if the child isn't learning certain basic skills such as how to read, time, using a ruler in school, than its the parent's responsibility to teach their kids. You can't simply relay on teachers on do all the work and not have certain skills re-enforced by the parents. As they say, raising a child takes a village-which includes parents, teachers and more importantly, family. If a parent is unable, a child can learn when their family comes around. A family member, if responsible and caring and loving, would love to help their love one learn a new skill. Also, if a parent has concerns, they should talk to the school and their child's teacher and ask for things to be taught and re-enforced. Sandy Hingston should share responsibility with her son not knowing how to use a ruler. 

Teaching is a hard job. I feel that it takes a special kind of person to be a teacher. I've been fortunate enough to help teach little children how to play instruments over the past two summers. This experience has helped me understand the needs of children. Hingerston points out that we learn using our senses and everyone learns using different senses. I agree completely. As a teacher, just as being an artist, you have to be able to communicate the same lesson or skill or message through different methods so that everyone will understand what you are trying to communicate. Apart of the problem is that children have a shorter attention spam than before. Also, as Hingerston pointed out, "….Our brains need time to mull over what's presented to us…." . The problem comes down to teaching methods. Children, as I have learned, respond and grasp information only if they are constantly stimulated and treated as an equal. Teaching is like parenting-you have to engage your child and teach them through trial and error: some things work and others don't; it depends on the child. However, if a teacher takes the time out to really get to know and understand a child's need and learning style, they can reach the child and hold their attention. This raises a point of how do you properly use technology in the classroom to teach children what they need to know.

Personally, I'm an advocate for technology in the classroom. Technology is used today as a form of communication and should utilized to fill in the gaps and re-enforced what is being taught. However, I do no advocate using technology as a way to give teachers a day off from teaching by putting on a video. I think parents should be proactive in helping teachers find videos and new ways of teaching their kids material they need to know. Furthermore, teachers should be open to taking advice from their students on what they want to learn and do for the year and find unique ways to integrate this into their lessons plans. At my high school, my teachers had us write at the beginning of the year, questions and things we wanted to learn and know about, as well as ideas we had for the class. At the end of the year, we filled out the same questionnaire and answered the questions about what we liked and disliked and what we would change in their class for the next group of students. Using this method, allows the students to feel apart of the their learning and to help teachers avoid frustration and tension with their students.

I agree with Hingston when she writes, " Technology was supposed to set us free to liberate us from the mundane, time consuming tasks so we could do great things, think great thoughts, solve humanities most pressing problems…".  It should be used to as tool in achieving ones goal. I disagree with Hingston scolding the usage of technology. I think as a consumer, it is our responsibility to demand companies and manufacturers to create products that help our children learn. As consumers and parent's, we have the choice and should put into practice our choice to spend our money on buying these technology tools to help our children to learn effectively.  Instead of spending money on X-Box's and Playstations, we can help such companies as Google, Barnes and Noble, and etc. push products that appeal and encourage learning. Furthermore, parents could always use the television and the internet as source for teaching. Parents, can invest time and money-if possible-in public television such as MPT and other organizations. Also, if t.v. is an effective , watching programs on Animal Planet, Discovery,  or even the History Channel could help kids learn and be engaged in subjects that are fascinating and interest them.

Ultimatly, this debate comes to this one idea: parents need to be more proactive. Just as their children have resources and technology, the parents do too. Parents have access to the same forms of communication and technology that their children have. Even if they don't, they have people and family members that could help out. I just feel that Sally Hingston had some good points. However, she, as a parent, didn't realize she was as proactive in her child's education-with the school, teachers, and him-until it was too late. She has a right to be concern. However, her son's lack of learnt knowledge falls on her shoulders. If parent's feel that their child isn't developing, they need to be proactive and help be leaders in their communities, with education initiatives. Furthermore, the parents have to work alongside teachers to demand certain things to be taught and learn how they can re-enforce skills that their child is lacking. Teachers and parents need to find  newer ways to help support each other that extend past the PTA meetings. If newer methods and productivity are created, parents, teachers, and more importantly, students, wont' feel as if they are dumber and aren't learning.