Volunteering & Volunteer Students

This is what I want:  I want my kiddo's school to allow me to transfer my kids to another school within the district.   I will tell you what I think.

The district is one of the best in Texas with one of the highest tax rates. 

Fact:  Maybe the district was one of the best at one time but that was before all of the parents who lived in the central part of Houston moved to the suburbs looking for the "good" school and the safe neighborhoods. 

Now, the schools have lost their supply of quiet, eager, normal behavior, high achieveing, homework-checked-by-their-parents every night kid to not-turning-in-my-homework, stealing pencils, held back last year, moved from some other city, street-survival culture kid. 

 I'm tired of my kiddo  having to sit out recess because 1/2 the students in the class are sucking the teacher's energy by talking and playing their way through the day. 

How do I know this?  I have seen it with my own eyes. 

 I'm tired of the parents not taking the responsibility of making their student behave in school so other kids can learn.  I wish the teacher could put the rowdy, none-learning kids in the gym all day.  Let them talk, bully and cause chaos with each other.  Students have a legal right to be at school but they do not have the right to interrupt everyone in the classroom. 

Parents, the teacher did not pick on your child.  Your child has poor impulse control or something.  If you think you moved to this district in order to insure your child gets one of the better educations in Texas, think again. 

You  or your kid are not being picked on because you are "poor" "white", "black", "Hispanic", "Korean", "Russian", "Filipino", "South American", "Spanish speaking", "any Middle Eastern language", "attend a mosque", "eat carrots", "religion", "economic level",  "skinny", "have two eyes". 

Parents, you might have changed your geography but in your kid's head and in your head you have not moved at all.

The problem is your kid.  My kid is subsidizing your kid because the teacher does not have to spend time during class quieting my child.

I have volunteered  at the school during the day.   I have stood up in front of the classroom and spoke to the class.  Your kid would not be quiet no matter how many times the teacher asked.    No matter how many times I stopped and waited for your child to quiet down.  Your kid thought he/she was witty.  He/She enjoyed the power of disrupting  me or whoever else was talking.

Parents, today I am talking to you about your part.  You are not fully to blame.  You are working everyday trying to pay these high gas prices.  You are working to make sure the mortgage is paid and that your boss does not fire you in these economic times.  You are just trying to drive one hour to work each way.  Your boss will not even let you take one day off work to have a teacher conference.  I know.  I have been there. 

 I have worked at a car wash in the Texas heat for $3.35 an hour for two years.  After working that 8 hour shift, I walked the 5 miles to my one room apartment because I could not afford a car.  We all have some struggle stories.

Check you kid's homework.  Ask the teacher to stay after school and help you help your child.  Try to make contact with other parents at the school.  Punish your child when he or she needs it.  Take away the TV, the Wii, the playtime out in the front of the house. 

Your son/daughter is good, loved, capable and has every reason to succeed.

 We are all in this school together.  Yes, the school needs to change.  The teachers need to change.  The district needs to change. 

Let's change the one factor that we know that we have control of.....our son/daughter. 

The very reason you moved to this school is changing.