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| It takes a village to raise a child ~ African proverb |
Over my adult life, I have heard this cliche countless times. However, in education, this famous proverb speaks volume because it is the blatant truth. Raising and educating our children -- our future -- required a collaborative effort and commitment. Despite this fact, if the truth is to be told, the village is doing a horrible job in raising our children. Yes there are societal ills and times are changing; yet, these are not valid reasons to give up on our kids and stop work together. Surely, our collective priorities are out of sync and not in order.
The village are the school's "stakeholders", a corporate term that is commonly tossed around within the educational community that has no real meaning to it, in my opinion. Collectively, there is no walk in their talk. Instead, we are playing the blame game with one another, instead of honestly working together. Understanding, compromise, and collaboration are needed to share a vision and to achieve a common goal. The reality is, in today's schools, these are sorely lacking while these stakeholders are faking the funk.
- Students
- Parents
- Community
- Government
- Local Education Agency
- School Administrators
- Teachers
My next several blog entries will critique each of these stakeholders individually; of course, they will be based on my professional perspective as a teacher. You know, a while back, I was talking to one of my colleagues about writing a book about my frustration with a lack of a professional voice in education and in the school house. Initially, I jokingly called this book Punk'D, from the popular TV show. Due to possible copyright infringement issues, I changed my mind and settle for this instead.
I hope you guys read, embrace, and understand what I have to say. Enjoy...
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