Today, we have a commentary in the Tampa Tribune: Parents Gone Wild: An Impediment to Education

To present her case of how "parents have gone wild", the author relates a story of a day of bad weather at high school release time in which a parent "goes wild" demanding that the parent's child be released for an orthodontist's appointment.

Later in the commentary, we are provided a new term to categorize some parents: "For years in education, we addressed the problem of the absentee parent, but an equally troublesome type has emerged: the vigilante parent."

Since my days as a parent of a student of the public school system are gone, I guess I have missed that moniker. This term is like a spin off of the old mantra: "First we blame the kid, then we blame the parent".


Interestingly enough, the author also preempts any chance of dismissal of her parental critique by making sure we know this event was not an "isolated incident", a common defense used when the public school system is accused of a wrongdoing.

At least the above "vigilante parent" was only "going wild" over her child and wasn't extending her authority to other kids. I wonder if the irate parent was aware that there was a written policy that says no students are to be dismissed when there is a lightening storm. I used to read my "student handbook" and don't remember seeing it, so it must be a new policy. I also wonder if this had been a "closed campus" as opposed to the identified "open campus", then the administrative decision to lock down the campus may not have happened. The answers to these questions would go far in reducing the strained relationship between "wild parents" and "professional educators".

Frequently, I hear or read stories, and used to experience first hand, incidents of poor professionalism on the part of a public school employee. I also am quick to read, and used to be told, a follow up comment that I should not judge in haste, and wait for the "other side of the story". In deference to due diligence, I too would like to hear the rest of the "vigilante parent's" story. There must have been some circumstances unknown to the rest of us of why the parent just "went wild". Perhaps there was only a short window of opportunity for the appointment and she knew her job was in jeopardy if she did not make it back in time. Perhaps her other child had to be picked up from another school, and she knew the other school would not tolerate her being late. There are a lot of hard working parents that are trying to do the best they can with what they have to work with.

The author makes a valid point with this statement about teachers: "Parents put their trust in us. We are held to a higher moral standard. When one of us screws up, the domino effect topples the integrity of every one of us."

If nothing else, school personnel of all levels should highlight the word trust. Every time a public school person gets cute with their defense, every time a public school person parses words, and every time a public school person alters or fabricates documents, out goes the trust.

I have one last, lingering question. I keep hearing that the downfall of our education system is due to the kids and the parents. So, why not get rid of the "teacher performance" money? Why reward the teachers for something they are not responsible for? Why not put the money towards "school system -parent-student" collaborative efforts so we can quit blaming each other?