Great Job - Minus the Weans
Scotland's teachers are getting their knickers in a twist again - this time over a proposal to encourage parental involvement in their children's schooling.
Predictably one of the teaching unions is up in arms - claiming that disproportionate weight was already given to parents' views - which is far removed rom my personal experience.
The Scotsman ran an interesting article about this at the weekend - with two people arguing the case for and against.
Yes - says Eileen Prior
Parents need to be involved. We talk about parents as partners in children's education, but if we are serious about that, then they have to be part of it.
Parents have to be more involved in reviewing how schools are doing. The majority of parents want the best for their children and they have knowledge about what works for them.
For schools not to get that information, they would be really missing out. There are areas where parents can help, for example identifying a community project which can fit in with the new Curriculum for Excellence.
They could contribute views on a variety of subjects from disciplinary policy to school meals to whatever: we take the view that the more heads working on a problem, the more likely you are to find a solution. It is very easy to see parents as complaining, but often they are very supportive.
Eileen Prior is the director of the Scottish Parent Teacher Council.
No - says Hugh Reilly
Less is more would be my response. Currently, the role of mums and dads is to trust the education professionals, support their child's learning and queue patiently at parents evenings. In the struggle for the lunatics to take over the asylum, parents have made great strides.
For example, school board members have a say in appointments to the school management team, and parental feedback regarding school policies and plans is enthusiastically solicited.
A touchy-feely culture now exists whereby, in techno-savvy schools, mums and dads receive text messages regarding a child's progress.
Pupils have become de facto postmen, taking home school junk mail.
In my view, any parent desiring more participation in school life should immediately be confined in a small room with the Curriculum for Excellence Guidelines and a group of disaffected teenagers.
Hugh Reilly is a Glasgow secondary teacher
In my view Eileen Prior wins the argument hands down - people in all walks of life put up with pushy clients or customers from time to time - it goes with the territory - teachers should just deal with it instead of carping and moaning all the time.
Hugh Reilly's comments are clearly tongue in cheek - but the small minority of teachers who resent a stronger role for parents in schools - give the rest of the profession a bad name.
Teachers who identify with Hugh's comments sound like a school 'jannie' I used to bump into from time to time - his favourite saying was: "This would be a great job you know, if it wisnae for the weans!"
Predictably one of the teaching unions is up in arms - claiming that disproportionate weight was already given to parents' views - which is far removed rom my personal experience.
The Scotsman ran an interesting article about this at the weekend - with two people arguing the case for and against.
Yes - says Eileen Prior
Parents need to be involved. We talk about parents as partners in children's education, but if we are serious about that, then they have to be part of it.
Parents have to be more involved in reviewing how schools are doing. The majority of parents want the best for their children and they have knowledge about what works for them.
For schools not to get that information, they would be really missing out. There are areas where parents can help, for example identifying a community project which can fit in with the new Curriculum for Excellence.
They could contribute views on a variety of subjects from disciplinary policy to school meals to whatever: we take the view that the more heads working on a problem, the more likely you are to find a solution. It is very easy to see parents as complaining, but often they are very supportive.
Eileen Prior is the director of the Scottish Parent Teacher Council.
No - says Hugh Reilly
Less is more would be my response. Currently, the role of mums and dads is to trust the education professionals, support their child's learning and queue patiently at parents evenings. In the struggle for the lunatics to take over the asylum, parents have made great strides.
For example, school board members have a say in appointments to the school management team, and parental feedback regarding school policies and plans is enthusiastically solicited.
A touchy-feely culture now exists whereby, in techno-savvy schools, mums and dads receive text messages regarding a child's progress.
Pupils have become de facto postmen, taking home school junk mail.
In my view, any parent desiring more participation in school life should immediately be confined in a small room with the Curriculum for Excellence Guidelines and a group of disaffected teenagers.
Hugh Reilly is a Glasgow secondary teacher
In my view Eileen Prior wins the argument hands down - people in all walks of life put up with pushy clients or customers from time to time - it goes with the territory - teachers should just deal with it instead of carping and moaning all the time.
Hugh Reilly's comments are clearly tongue in cheek - but the small minority of teachers who resent a stronger role for parents in schools - give the rest of the profession a bad name.
Teachers who identify with Hugh's comments sound like a school 'jannie' I used to bump into from time to time - his favourite saying was: "This would be a great job you know, if it wisnae for the weans!"
