2017-08-09 265阅读
"Both parents and communities must be involved in the local schools. Education is too important to leave solely to a group of professional educators."
Should parents and communities participate in local education because education is too important to leave to professional educators, as the speaker asserts? It might be tempting to agree with the speaker, based on a parent&aposs legal authority over, familiarity with, and interest in his or her own children. However, a far more compelling argument can be made that, except for major decisions such as choice of school, a child&aposs education is best lt to professional educators.
Communities of parents concerned about their children&aposs education rely on three arguments for active parental and community participation in that process. The first argument, and the one expressed most often and vociferously, is that parents hold the ultimately legal authority to make key decisions about what and how their own children learn including choice of curriculum and text books, pace and schedule for learning, and the extent to which their child should learn alongside other children. The second argument is that only a parent can truly know the unique needs of a child including what educational choices are best suited for the child. The third argument is that parents are more motivated--by pride and ego--than any other person to take whatever measures are needed to ensure their children receive the best possible education.
Carul examination of these three arguments, however, reveals that they are specious at best. As for the first one, were we to allow parents the right to make all major decisions regarding the education of their children, many children would go with little or no education. In a perfect world parents would always make their children&aposs education one of their highest priorities. Yet, in fact many parents do not. As for the second argument, parents are not necessarily best equipped to know what is best for their child when it comes to education. Although most parents might think they are sufficiently expert by virtue of having gone through formal education themselves, parents lack the specialized training to appreciate what pedagogical methods are most fective, what constitutes a balanced education, how developmental psychology affects a child&aposs capacity for learning at different levels and at different stages of childhood. Professional educators, by virtue of their specialized training in these areas, are far better able to ensure that a child receives a balanced, properly paced education.
There are two additional compelling arguments against the speaker&aposs contention. First, parents are too subjective to always know what is truly best for their children. For example, many parents try to overcome their own shortcomings and failed self-expectations vicariously through their children&aposs accomplishments. Most of us have known parents who push their child to excel in certain areas--to the emotional and psychological detriment of the child. Secondly, if too many parties become involved in making decisions about day-to-day instruction, the end result might be infighting, legal battles, boycotts, and other protests, all of which impede the educational process; and the ultimate victims are the children themselves. Finally, in many jurisdictions parents now have the option of schooling their children at home, as long as certain state requirements are met. In my observation, home schooling allows parents who prer it great control over a child&aposs education, while allowing the professional educators to discharge their responsibilities as fectively as possible--unfettered by gadfly parents who constantly interfere and intervene.
In sum, while parents might seem better able and better motivated to make key decisions about their child&aposs education, in many cases they are not. With the possible exceptions of responsible home-schoolers, a child&aposs intellectual, social, and psychological development is at risk when communities of parents dominate the decision-making process involving education.
Copyright 2000 - 2020 北京澳际教育咨询有限公司
www.aoji.cn All Rights Reserved | 京ICP证050284号
总部地址:北京市东城区 灯市口大街33号 国中商业大厦2-3层
孙丹 向我咨询
行业年龄 16年
成功案例 4314人
2006年毕业于北京科技学院,英语教育专业,2008年进入澳际预科学校,负责学生管理及外教教学管理工作,后转入澳际咨询部和文案部,负责澳大利亚和新西兰学生的留学方案制定,申请及签证,擅长疑难杂症,专业,热情,有很好的亲和力,已经帮助上千名莘莘学子实现留学梦想,凭借深厚留学工作经验和不懈努力,创造了优秀业绩。
高国强 向我咨询
行业年龄 11年
成功案例 2937人
留学关乎到一个家庭的期望以及一个学生的未来,作为一名留学规划导师,我一直坚信最基本且最重要的品质是认真负责的态度。基于对学生和家长认真负责的原则,结合丰富的申请经验,更有效地帮助学生清晰未来发展方向,顺利进入理想院校。
薛占秋 向我咨询
行业年龄 10年
成功案例 1869人
从业3年来成功协助数百同学拿到英、美、加、澳等各国学习签证,递签成功率90%以上,大大超过同业平均水平。
Tara 向我咨询
行业年龄 6年
成功案例 1602人