A Vicious Cycle

There are amazing parents out there, my mother being one of them. The moment the child is out of the womb they are singing to them and reading to them. They engage in conversation as the child continues to grow. They encourage responsibility by assigning household chores. Before heading off to school, they have already taught their little one how to count and write their name. These children have unknowingly been prepped and primed for the next 10+ years of their educational career.

What about those students who were never sung to, never held a pencil until they arrived on their first day of school, never learned social skills because they did not attend preschool, and never had a parent talk 'to' them but have been talked 'at' all their short life? We need to accept that poverty is a huge factor in this scenario. The situation becomes a vicious cycle as these children grow up and have children of their own, and they have little idea how to academically and socially raise a child.

This is a scenario that all too many inner-city teachers are faced with. Government is reigning down on them with negativity about successfully raising these students' test scores to meet the other schools who host families that worked with their children from a young age and continue doing so. Bottom line, it is time to hold the parents accountable too. This cycle cannot be stopped, but it can slow down. Parenting is a job and requires training. Much training is from childhood into adulthood as we watch how our parents raise us. So what about those children who have not been raised, but left to their own devises? The Department of Child & Family Services (DCFS) tried to intervene but are so inundated with cases they are forced to put the "minor" cases on the back burner. These are not minor cases! These children are being taught that neglect is acceptable and when they have their own children they are likely to become the same kind of parent.

If you have children and they are emotionally and academically stable, happy children then quick! pick up the phone and thank your parents. While you're at it, call your grandparents and thank them too for preparing your parents for the most important job in the world.

This post is dedicated to my mom and dad, and my 3 siblings. To me they are all the greatest parents in the world for my 6 nephews/neice.

In the meantime, here is a quote from one of those studies:

"(M)any children face deficiencies in the years leading up to school entry in terms of emotional support, intellectual stimulation, or access to resources — due to low income or other factors — that can impede their ability to develop to their fullest potential." -Copyright © 2005 RAND Corporation