Filling In The Gap, Texas-Style

By all accounts, public education in Texas is a big mess. Big cuts in services to children are coming down the pike. And what does former First Lady Barbara say about it in the Houston Chronicle? First, blame the parents. Second, let’s all get out of this mess by volunteering.

Let's start with the parents.

Some parents forget they are their children's first teachers, and the home is the first school. When our kids come home from school, do they read a book, or do they sit glued to the television or the Internet? Do they see us reading? Do we eat together, or does everybody "grab a bite" and dash out the door? Do we talk and listen? Do we help with homework? Are we active in the PTA? Do we make sure we attend all parent-teacher conferences, or do we use work as an excuse to skip out occasionally? It's easier to be a lazy parent than a good parent, but with parenthood comes responsibility and accountability.

Many parents face daunting challenges - health and financial issues, single parenthood, or a poor educational background. They need our help.

There are wonderful programs such as Big Brothers and Big Sisters that try to make sure every student who needs one has a mentor. I know several business and government leaders who donate one lunch hour a week to tutor a student, and others who give time to after-school programs. But the need is always greater.

That is why business and church leaders, parents and grandparents, friends and neighbors all must become partners in the education of our children. The best place to start: The school you likely drive by every single day on your way to work or the grocery store or the golf course. My guess is the people inside could use your help.

Of course, there is no doubt that parents should be involved in their children’s education. And volunteering is a very good thing. But as someone who has been peripherally involved in issues of pre-school public education for many years, I can tell you there is a BIG elephant in the room. Many schools don’t even have their act together enough to guide parents adequately in how to be effective partners in educating their children. And yes, some parents are so disgusted by the state of what they see, that they simply don’t believe they can do anything to help. Same for volunteers – when we spend our spare time on something other than ourselves, not only do we want to feel that we are really doing something, we want to have a pleasant time while doing it. We have choices about where we spend our time, and the fact that we have that choice will influence whether we stick around long-term with a volunteer gig.

Reading the whole article is well worth your time. The tone is very disturbing. I guess Barbara Bush does not understand that indeed, some parents have to “grab a bite” and dash out the door because working at night is the only option they have in order to put that bite on the table. And yes, some people have to miss that parent-teacher conference out of fear they will lose the little work they have, if they even ask for a few hours off of the job. And how about those grandparents who will have to trade in the prospect of volunteering for a few more years of working, thanks to the fear that the Social Security retirement age will be raised?  And let’s not forget about the rest of us, who spend endless hours driving to and from the golf course…

And sorry, while volunteerism is a wonderful thing, it will not get Texas – or the rest of America – out of the mess we are in. The former First Lady seems to insinuate that Texas can be on the forefront of some sort of “reform movement” that is driven by volunteerism.

At $27 billion, the budget gap in Texas is more than twice what it was expected to be. Nearly one in four children in Texas live below the poverty line. And in response, Governor Perry plans to gut services to children by $10 billion dollars.

Sorry, Mrs. Bush, but no amount of PTA meetings and rich folks trading in golfing for mentoring is going to make up for that.