Francis - Issues of Schooling

Francis - Issues of Schooling

Lisa Francis 21 Jun 2013 05:22

One implication is that school is viewed in society as a “one-stop shop” that should try to fix all of society’s problems, but in reality, the impact of schooling is actually limited. When students only have dysfunctional families to return to after they graduate and the legal system fails them, their schooling can only help them in a limited way. I see this concept when students come to my school hungry, in dirty clothes, and without their backpack. Sometimes parents are at the end of their rope in their own lives and the best they can do is just get their child to school physically and then try to deal with their own personal issues. Yet it is the school that is expected to solve every problem in this child’s life, and if something bad happens to the child, it is seen as a failing of the school.

Re: Francis - Issues of Schooling

Tabitha Campbell 21 Jun 2013 05:35

This issue flabbergasts me. A friend of mine, who is also a co-worker, literally had to teach a student how to wash their clothes and how to take a shower because no one had ever shown them how. The student was constantly given a hard time about his stench, but he had no idea what they were talking about. This is the 4th case of this since I started teaching. When the parent was contacted, she said something to the effect of 'aren't you supposed to teach them everything?'. So sad that this on top of math, science, reading writing etc. has to be taught in 8 hours. Blows my mind.
Numerous occasions I've also had students explain that they were living with a friend because their mom/dad hadn't been home in a couple days. And our main concern with these students it to get them to learn an algorithm? Too many issues, too little time.

Re: Francis - Issues of Schooling

Kimberly McCasland 21 Jun 2013 14:15

I agree that some parents do view the school as a 'one-stop shop' where teachers are expected to teach the kids EVERYTHING. This is unfortunate for several reasons. First of all, parents need to be interacting with their children at home. Parents should be the ones to introduce their child to some independent tasks, such as hygiene. However, as you and Tabitha both state, this isn't always the case; and when it isn't teachers are expected to rise to the occasion. Wood's article also discusses how school helps children in limited ways; if students return to dysfunctional families and support systems after their schooling years, they tend to fall back into that. School can only be a "safe-haven" to these children for so long.