Make the Child Pay

Our state Representative, Wayne Smith, has introduced a bill that would make it a misdemeanor for a parent to schedule a teacher conference and not show up, or refuse to show up for a conference that a teacher requests. A first offense could result in a fine on conviction, and a second offense could result in jail time.” Thank you Barb Wooster for summing that up so eloquently...

It’s true, in the best interest of all Texans; one of our elected officials has found yet another way to punish the parent of a wayward student.

Kari Griffin, one of my favorite reporters for the Baytown Sun wrote: “Director of student services Al Richard said he would not comment on the possible effects of Smith’s bill, but he has observed the result of making parents legally responsible for their children’s absences.”

One of the oldest misguided statements I’ve heard repeatedly over the last twenty years goes something like this: “Well, if their kid would have been raised better, they wouldn’t have turned out so bad”. I can tell you first hand, that children tend to go their own way, some of it good and some of it bad, regardless of how you attempt to steer them. This is why almost everyone knows of a preacher’s kid or a cop’s child who has chosen the opposite path than the one lived out in front of them.

I pity the well-intentioned and hard-working teacher, who through parental complaint and legal restraints cannot adjust the student’s attitude with a few good whacks of a paddle. It did wonders for a student’s attitude back in the day before senseless lawsuits and progressive thinking banned corporal punishment.

We are now living in the day of “Zero Tolerance”, which on paper is a good idea, but in practice is about the stupidest philosophy to come down the pike in the last century. It removes all judgment calls and decision-making from the school staff and based on prearranged guidelines tries and convicts the student in such a way that no one has to shoulder the blame, thus, they cannot be sued. More times than not, the violation is placed on the parents…just like this new legislation intends to do.

Back in the 1960’s, when this country was in social upheaval, the likes of which we have never duplicated since, my generation thought most of what had happened in the past needed changing. We were right on some of it, but wrong on others and guess what? My generation is for the most part, the ones in charge now. Corporal punishment, or for a more modern translation, paddling (spanking) a child for their transgressions of school policy, is an example of how a child used to be held accountable for their actions.

“How barbaric”! Yes and let me add, effective. Young teenage boys, full of vim and vigor lived under the well justified fear they would get “pops” if they acted out. I received my share I’ll tell you openly and every time, it made a positive adjustment in my attitude. In fact, I lived in fear my parents would find out about the “pops” and I would be punished all over again.

I didn’t skip school very often either, because I knew the Truant Officer would come get me and I could end up in a reform school. Would my parents be fined? Nope, not a penny. Would little Berty learn his lesson? Yuppers, right along with all those other wayward kids living in a reform school of hardened truants.

I quote Kari Griffin again: “Goose Creek Superintendent Barbara Sultis said parents should be keenly involved with their child’s education. “Communication between school and home is essential to a student’s success in the classroom,” said Sultis.” Parents SHOULD be involved in their child’s education and “should” is the key word here.

The new bill, if passed, will once again remove the burden from the student and place it on the parent. Like the zero tolerance policy, it is well-intentioned, but wrongly directed. The student must answer for their own actions and passing the punishment off to the parent is not the solution. The message sent to the student is simple – they are not responsible for their own actions.

Forget fining the parent for a child’s actions or absences. If a child will not come to school, have a Truant officer pick them up and send them to a boot camp (today’s modern reform school). If they misbehave in school, send them to the Principles office and in front of witnesses and camera, apply the wooden force of correction to the seat of learning.

Return the tried and proven corporal punishment corrective method to the teacher and we will see an improvement in our student’s attitudes.