Education & Parents

I will have to admit that I am glad John's the teacher and not me. I would be fed up with the current education system for deaf/hofh kids by the first day!! It is frustrating to see the 'system' fail so many bright kids. Its becoming harder and harder for me to see the kids I counsel every week and not berate the teachers and school district for their failure to raise the standards and expectations they place on these kids. Compared to my generation, these kids are almost doomed to be lower income working class people because their teachers and parents do not believe they can achieve more. It boils my blood! My words may come back to haunt me but I wholeheartedly believe that if today's teachers/parents would expect better from their kids, their futures would be full of possibilities rather than full of bleakness. Its interesting the shift I notice in parenting too. Too often these days, I see parents not bothering to implement any kind of discipline on their kids, preferring instead that the schools teach the kids how to behave. Funny....I thought schools were for learning, not behavioral modification! Of all the kids I see, not one of their parents sign fluently with their child. I think that borders on neglect/abuse. When they deprive their children of adequate nutrition for their physical growth, parents are accountable. When they deprive the children of adequate language and access to communication, they SHOULD be accountable!!

In the words of Forrest Gump..."That's all I got to say about that."