Speaking at their annual conference, Clarissa Williams, President of the National Association of Head Teachers said punitive steps like fining parents for truanting do not often work and says a more creative approach is needed.
It is been said parents who spend quality time with their children should be rewarded through the benefits system.
Isn't it amazing that someone who has risen to become President of the National Association of Head Teachers could come up with an idea like this?
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Who will define 'good' parenting? Who will judge? What benefit will it deliver in real terms?
What a stupid idea / question. This automatically presumes that most parents will bring up their children badly and the a few good ones will be the exception. Most parents are very good parents.
Parenting is not a paid job. If it was, we would be over populated due to cash rewards. What a preposterous suggestion to pay people for caring for their own offspring. Will the government punish parents who neglect them?
To see your children mature into well balanced adults should be reward enough.
What kind of thinking is this? No wonder Education is in this state, I have never heard such nonsense. These union people need to get some priorities right and put their own house in order.
Good parents are already rewarded. By producing children who care for others, are polite and who think for themselves. Good parents get ample reward from seeing their children grow up with manners, respect for others, and the confidence to go out into the big wide world and make a contribution to society.
Teachers should stick to educating rather than proposing ill formed political proposals.
Salima,
I often read your letters in the LET and I know from the comments posted by others that you sometimes come in for criticism. I take a different view. It's healthy for society to have debate and your letters contribute to this process.
The proposal from the NAHT is, of course, a further step along the road to the instrumentalisation of society - do nothing and do nothing well except for money.
I regret to say that politicians have done much to foster this mentality.
When I was at secondary school we had only one target. Imagine that a school run with a single target.
What traget was this?
It was a simple one; one that was very rewarding and ultimately did wonders for how folks viewed themselves. It was a target that everyone could achieve, and it was one that teachers could really help with.
The target was this: [italic][bold]'Try your very best'[/bold][/italic] .
When my children were in the state education system I told them two things. First, you were not put on this earth to live in order to meet arbitary targets set by dozy politcians. Second, when you bring home your school report the column that will mean the most to me is the one marked 'Effort'. If you get an 'A' or 'B' in the effort column you're a 'star'.
Salima,
I often read your letters in the LET and I know from the comments posted by others that you sometimes come in for criticism. I take a different view. It's healthy for society to have debate and your letters contribute to this process.
The proposal from the NAHT is, of course, a further step along the road to the instrumentalisation of society - do nothing and do nothing well except for money.
I regret to say that politicians have done much to foster this mentality.
When I was at secondary school we had only one target. Imagine that a school run with a single target.
What traget was this?
It was a simple one; one that was very rewarding and ultimately did wonders for how folks viewed themselves. It was a target that everyone could achieve, and it was one that teachers could really help with.
The target was this: 'Try your very best' .
When my children were in the state education system I told them two things. First, you were not put on this earth to live in order to meet arbitary targets set by dozy politcians. Second, when you bring home your school report the column that will mean the most to me is the one marked 'Effort'. If you get an 'A' or 'B' in the effort column you're a 'star'.
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