My wife and I are Indian, and we instruct our kids in math and other subjects at home, because we think the schools are moving too slowly.
Yo no habla Ingles
You want parents? Here’s how to increase parent involvement. Just start randomly flunking about 20% of the kids.
Look, dummies, if it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it. Leave the parents alone.
They’re just upset that they can’t play their power mind games on the people who aren’t attending.
I agree, why do parents need to come if the kids are doing fine?
That’s the flip side of not being able to get parents to help their kids who are discipline problems or failing.
Good problem to have.
That’s great. I have met more genius Indian mathematicians then I can count. I’ve met a few European-American ones too, of course. But the percentage of Indians is so high. Of course the USA imported a few hundred thousand Indian Comp. Sci engineers in the 1990s, so it’s not a normal sample.
But still! I have one friend who can do six digit square roots w/ perfect accuracy. The formulas he created for our software was amazing. (Microsoft eventually hired him.)
I’m sure it’s a lot ‘nurture’, but I think there is some ‘nature’ in there too.
Don’t worry - Lord Obummer will pass an executive order forcing parents into the indoctrination cages with their children.
It sucks when you can't get the suckers in your church.
If parents aren’t attending the PTA, it’s because they probably don’t have the time.
If this is NY, they’re most likely moonlighting two jobs each to afford the taxes.
You, sir, are to be applauded, as is your wife! Kudos for taking the initiative on behalf of your children. The teachers who want to do the right thing are strapped to burdens of ridiculous paperwork and politically correct silliness, thanks to the bloated beached whale carcass that is the NEA.
As for parents not attending PTA—why should they, after years of being told they are superfluous anyway?
Just a guess. Maybe Parents stopped participating in PTA when they realized their voices were not being listened to. Teacher unions determine what happens in the schools, not the parents.
It’s all about the money.
The purpose of the PTA is to raise money — get the kids to sell stuff — which the parents end up buying.
The schools are underfunded, and the PTA tries to make up the difference from getting money from the parents.
You can run from the PTA, but they’ll find you and extract their pound of flesh in the form of magazine or candy sales.
Bored housewives use the PTA as their own personal source for a social life and purpose in life. I am instantly transported back in time to cliques, Bunco parties and other inane idiocies that I was glad to leave behind in the ninth grade.
This PTA crap has started in India too now. PTA are held in my kids’ school every 2 months and “both parents MUST attend”. Though many fathers stay away, moms attend because they are allowed to see the answer papers of the tests taken in the 2 months. I was called specifically to the school by the principal as I skipped the PTA for more than 2 years. Since my kid was doing OK, I was not too happy and asked the principal how many times her parents were called to her school. She was pretty well miffed and said “I didn’t do anything to have them called up”. I said “Exactly” and walked off. (Both the principal and my wife were stunned :) )
Good! Ah-dzhu tschoh-ah-yo! Keep on doing what you’re doing! Never mind the PTA, keep to the subjects that are important, not the politics of the schools!
I grew up in the next town over from Jericho, NY. Best school systme in the country. We had a great public education. I hope it’s still that way today. And no, my mother never went to a PTA meeting...ever.
The PTA wants their money to support the NEA-led pograms. The PTA is not good for this country. Parent organizations that are autonomous to individual schools are the way to go.
Having lived in Asian communities most of my life, I can tell you immediately what they were doing instead of wasting time at PTA meetings:
WORKING.
What a stupid article this is.