5.3.6 Family Support

Another problem is uncertain family support. Here we've been talking about this under accountability, but this is a separate issue in the sense that if the school and the family are on the same wavelength, boy does that help kids learning. But if the family doesn't trust the school, its not only the issue of helping with homework or different styles of learning, its also the fact that a lot of parents don't trust the schools. I think that's awful. I can't imagine anything worse than parents not trusting the schools with their kids. That's really awful. On the other hand I think the schools have done a lot to deserve the mistrust of the parents.

It wouldn't happen today, but I can remember about 30 years ago I actually saw a course in a course catalog which was entitled "How to teach controversial issues so that parents don't notice". Now think about that. What that course was about was teaching teachers to sneak up on parents. I think that's awful. I think its irresponsible. I can't defend that at all. I think that parents should have confidence that the schools aren't going to sneak up on them. That's a moral issue. That's different than saying that the school and the parents are always going to agree. But if I'm not going to agree with the parent, the parent better know full fledged up front that this is something that is going to be
different or something that is a point of issue so that we can understand how we're both going to deal with it. Then I as teacher will try and figure out the extent that which I can accommodate the divergent parent point of view and work out something or let the parent know that I can't work something out. The worse possible thing is for parents not to have confidence in what the school is doing. And any teacher that can't support the policies of the school board shouldn't be a teacher in that school district. I feel that teachers have an obligation to be up front with their value systems and not be subverting any of the school board's values or family values.

	Why is family support so important to schools working cohesively with children and the community?	Answer Here
	Mrs. Reed teaches physical education and health in a middle school where family life is an important part of the curriculum. Health and physical education is required for every student in the school system to pass. In order to be in compliance with the curriculum that she is supposed to follow, Mrs. Reed begins family life education at the scheduled time. The next day, John Thomas's mother comes to school and complains because she doesn't feel the school should teach family life to her son or other students in the school system. How can Mrs. Reed prevent this problem and resolve the problems that exist now for John and his family?	Answer Here