Parents in a recent survey say teachers should stop blaming them for poor student performance. I agree to an extent. Parents are not 100% responsible for their students’ successes or failures, but they do have an enormous effect.
Without trying to determine every cause, here are my top reasons for my students’ lack of success (in no particular order):
- reading level,
- class size,
- time spent on video games, tv, and the computer,
- parent involvement,
- an acceptance of low grades,
- a lack of internal motivation,
- attendance,
- an inability to see relevance, and
- apathy.
I don’t necessarily think any one person or group is responsible, and the system itself may be the most culpable. Granted, people control the system; however, a concerted effort must be undertaken to change it.
What do you feel are the biggest reasons for your students’ lack of success?
