posted on Jun, 28 2009 @ 10:26 AM
In the UK, people under the age of 19 are entitled to an education. It's a Right enshrined in law. Not everyone values an education and moreover, not
everyone's parents value education either. They represent a small minority of families...but they do exist.
Schools act like microcosms of society and have rules and expectations of appropriate behavior. Without these a school couldn't function any more
than society could. Now, if a teenage boy comes to school late, misses scholl, disrupts lessons or refuses detentions...what is the school to do?
They contact the parent or carer and explain the issues and ask for support. The parent/carer refuses to support the school and thereby allows the boy
to exist outside the rules and expectations of the school. The boy is immune to sanctions and will increase their negative behavior. The knock on
effect is increased disruption of lessons that undermines the learning experience of other pupils. Others might join the boy and then even more
pupils' educations are damaged.
The school is left with two options...allow the boy to continue unsanctioned or permanently exclude him. This moves the problem...we still have a boy
that is immune to sanctions. His chances as an adult are diminished and he'd probably become a parent with the same attitude to education as his
parent/carer...the cycle continues.
This proposed extra sanction that would encourage the neglectful parent/carer to support their child in education would be an action of last resort. I
think some ATS members might be surprised to find that some parents out there are crap human beings. This minority don't give a damn for the
prospects of their children. Some of them couldn't care less about their kids. These self-centered people catapult their kids into a future as adults
wholly unprepared for society and into the nets of welfare and criminal justice.
An early intervention can save lives and help to break the cycle that leads to several generations in one family never having a job.
reply to post by machinegun_go_go
Well said. Teaching is very frickin hard and teachers have better things to do than pick on pupils 'they don't like.' I'm not saying it's the
hardest job in the world...but it's up there.
[edit on 28-6-2009 by Kandinsky]