Is poor parenting the reason children don't value education?

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   dianetrotterposted 11 years ago

   Is poor parenting the reason children don't value education?
   
   Are the growing number of absentee parents and uneducated parents the reasons most children in urban schools do not value education?

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   Trish89posted 11 years ago

   Yes that could very well be. If your parents don't push you to do good in school in order to better your life, you probably won't care either.

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      dianetrotterposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I have a student whose mother is 13 years older than she is.  Mom should have waited.  What can she tell her daughter?

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      gmwilliamsposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      It is the culture of poverty consciousness.  The poor and uneducated have a mindset which is different from the rest of us.  It is really a pathology of fatalism and nonachievement.

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3. 93

   peeplesposted 11 years ago

   Yes. It is the responsibility of a parent to ensure a child understands what an education will do. I wonder if the children who fail or simply do not care have a parent at home to go over homework and talk about the school day.

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4. 73

   lburmasterposted 11 years ago

   That could be one reason. Another would be that they don't see any good examples of how education has helped someone they know. Before I went to college, I believed it was just a place I had no choice to go to. Then I met the teachers there and heard some of the speakers, and my idea of education changed.

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5. 81

   dashingscorpioposted 11 years ago

   Absolutely that is a major factor! In past generations teachers and parents were on the (same) team! I grew up in an era where children were expected to (respect) adults. Parents sat down and went over home work with their kids. They attended parent/teacher conferences. If a child acted up in class the teacher called him or her up to the front of the class and gave them a couple of swats. When the child got home if his or her parents found out about it they got spanked again!
   Now I'm not advocating bringing back corporal punishment. However I do believe around the time parents started threatening teachers and school administrators: "You had better not lay a hand on my child!" that was when parents started pulling away from teachers and allowing them to control what takes place in the classroom. The next complaints had to do with teachers "humiliating" students who acted up in class.  Soon the kids realized that teachers were (powerless).
   The government placed 100% of the blame for failing education on the teachers. It was the easy thing to do. (No politican will ever get elected by blaming the "parents/voters" for their child's poor performance in school). The only way our educational system will improve is if parents take a more (active role) in their children's education and work as a (team) with teachers.
   One man's (old school) opinion! :-)

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      dianetrotterposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      At one time grandparents tried to fill in the gap.  After several generations, it seems the grandparents are just as bad as the parent.  Thanks Dashing!

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   duffsmomposted 11 years ago

   I think that is a major part of it. But we also have to allow for individual personalities. A parent can do everything right and for whatever reason have a child that will not excel and will not value education.

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      dianetrotterposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      I think we should throw the kitchen sink (use all means and tools) to provide opportunities to learn.

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   bubba-mathposted 11 years ago

   Yes, but the really bad parents will blame schools, teachers, classmates, administration, sun spots, and Bigfoot before admitting that they themselves are part of the problem.
   
   It's amazing that some parents think schools are 100% responsible for ensuring their children learn what they need to learn and take pride in learning.  These parents won't help their children with homework, read with their kids, or do anything to stimulate their intellectual development at home.  And then they wonder why their kids think school is pointless.

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      dianetrotterposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      What is said is to know the future for these kids.  Some escape but most are involved in crime, violence, and or poverty.

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      gmwilliamsposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Bubba-math, you have succinctly stated an excellent point.Many poor and uneducated parents believe that  they do not play a part in their children's education, they believe that it is THE TEACHER'S  job to educate their children.

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      Markie Wposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I fully agree with you! It drives me crazy when I see parents like this just in complete denial. It's not the school's responsibility to raise your kids.

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   Express10posted 11 years ago

   This is a very good question! In my life experience so far, it appears that absentee parents and uneducated parents are a major reason that children don't value education. This is not always true but very common. Children from these families are more likely to be in the workforce if not parents themselves by the time their peers have finished a Bachelor's degree.
   
   Outside the home, some children just don't see any real-life success stories showing the good things that can come with a carefully planned education past high school. When I say carefully planned, I mean that the major is one that leads to a career for which there is a very good chance of finding an actual opening and any debt occurred can easily be paid with their own career earnings.
   
   There are some parents who don't even discuss grade school or college, let alone take it upon themselves as parents to at least get information about college. In some cases the child may take it upon themselves however, if the parents don't set expectations or a good example, it's not likely that the child will go "against the grain." Also, some parents place blame on teachers or the government for their failings and lack of involvement in their children's education.

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      dianetrotterposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I agree with you Express.  As I mentor kids, I hear a lot of difficult things.  I try to encourage them to stay the course as least until high school graduation.  I feel so frustrated and useless when I try to walk kids through kids through trauma.

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   gmwilliamsposted 11 years ago

   Children learn from what they observe in the family environment. Parents who are uneducated and poor tend not to value education and impart that to their children.  Parents who are poor and uneducated tend to have an iimmediate consciousness. They only believe in doing things that have an immediate/instant effect.  That is part of the culture of poverty consciousness and mentality.  They believe in instant gratification.  The idea of having long term goals and delaying gratification for a better purpose is total anathema to such parents. 
   
   Also, I believe that family size is also influential in this equation.  Poor and uneducated parents tend to have larger families. Children in large families are oftentimes impoverished or near it. They do not receive the prerequiste parental time and attention. The family environment is extremely tenuous and hardscrabble. Children have to raise themselves and each other.
   
   The oldest child in such families are parentified child, not having a normal, formative childhood and adolescence.  Also in large families, education is not stressed and viewed as superfluous. In such environments, it is only the basic, rudimentary needs that are emphasized.   In large family environments, there are seldom any books and/or other intellectual paraphenalia because such things are viewed as a waste of time. 
   
   This is not only in urban schools but in some schools in lower to working class neighborhoods whether urban or rural.  Poor and uneducated parents do not see the intrinsic value of education. They believe in immediate survival and inculcate their children to this mindset.  I would like to add that poor parents oftentimes take their children out of school to help supplement the family income. This is extremely prevalent in poor, large families.

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   1. 62

      dianetrotterposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      My students and I read the news about the 17 year old who shot the 13 month old in the head.  His mom and aunt threw the gun in a lake to try to get rid of evidence.  Then mm and aunt were arrested.  They both had a prior record

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10. 61

    Markie Wposted 11 years ago

    I think the reason some children don't value education is because they haven't been enlightened to just how important and vital it is. It's hard to be passionate about anything if you don't know the 'why' behind it, so I guess seeing as it's the parents jobs to teach their children the importance of education and make sure they study instead of watching tv or whatever, then it could be linked to poor parenting.

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       Dabby Lyricposted 6 years agoin reply to this

       We are set up to fail in this institution! That is why all of those other reasons mentiioned exists!
       Once everybody is seen and treated like human beings then kids/parents will be motivated to learn something that will lift THEM UP not TEAR DOWN!

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    Dabby Lyricposted 6 years ago

    Hello Hubbers,
    Thank you Diane for presenting an engaging and important question to this forum.
    I've skimmed through the comments posted and I agree with most of the reasons/factors to consider when reflecting on such a social topic.
    I'm a 41 year old Wife and Mother of a two year old-almost.  I'm terrified about her educational prospects because the system here in the US is a Total Joke!  I mean no disrespect to other Countries' practices but I'm not well versed in those areas.
    It's clear that Politics and other forces have way more control over the educational system than they should.  I say that for several reasons:
    Teachers are NOT treated with the respect that   they deserve.  I'm talking about caring and responsible teachers who DON'T take advantage of their students.  I'm talking about teachers who use their own money to provide for their students because of inferior budgets.  I'm talking about teachers who double as counselors when needed! The government does care for the well being of these teachers!
    The Government does not care for certain kids receiving superior education, based on race, economic status and so on! If they did, the budget to supply our children with superior education would NEVER be cut!
    It's difficult to put stock in ANY system that wants to see you fail!  Children in poverty and low-income communities have been targeted for inferior and self-hating indoctrination for the longest time and it needs to STOP!
    I know what I'm talking about because I grew up in Compton, CA.  I received most of my schooling there and this Country MUST DO BETTER!
    I had a chance to go to a different school in a more affluent community. I could tell the difference of the schooling practices on the 1st day! I was SO behind in the major subjects like reading and math!  It was very embarrassing for me to take all of those remedial courses when I'd performed much better at my previous school.  I transferred out from a 'Christian School' in the 7th grade to a public school.
    It all starts and ends with an Agenda to keep certain groups of people out of competition for those running this country behind the scenes.

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       dianetrotterposted 6 years agoin reply to this

       Thank you for your comments!

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       Dabby Lyricposted 6 years agoin reply to this

       You are truly welcome

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    Ralph Castroposted 6 years ago

    I think parents have a role to partake on that matter. But also there are other reasons why most children do not value education. Media is, I think, one of the most influential factor with children these days. There is also the peer pressure. and a lot more.

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       dianetrotterposted 6 years agoin reply to this

       True, Ralph.  Parents should have control over kids' media use.  Kids come to class with cellphones/ipods and use them during class.  They don't bring pens/pencils or writing supplies.  Schools should enforce rules.

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