Gabby's Tip: How to tell if your child has a teacher or . . .

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How to tell if your child has a teacher or . . . an education major

How to tell if your child has a teacher or an education major; an education major is someone in the process of becoming a teacher.

This tip is prompted by the number of university and college freshmen nationwide that require remedial courses in reading and writing. For decades high schools have been graduating students who have not demonstrated an ability to read and write at college entrance level. Instead of teaching education majors how to communicate subject matter universities and colleges have lowered their entrance requirements. I.e. "One in three Hawaii public school graduates need remedial math or English when they enter the University of Hawaii System."

An education major with a teaching degree does in fact know how to manifest homework being turned in neatly and on time however, he/she is still attached to their reasons as to why it can't be done consistently.

The difference between an education major and a teacher is that a teacher consistently manifests his/her stated classroom related intentions—homework turned in neatly and on time—as such, he/she can be trusted to communicate subject matter. Also, a teacher has a Communication-Skills Coach on speed-dial—for clearings and for conversations about how to handle upsets and broken/thwarted agreements. i.e. "I need to know what I'm doing that's causing _ _ _ _ to not do her homework; obviously I've failed to enroll her parent in supporting the homework agreement."

An education major's college/university curriculum introduces them to the principles and fundamentals of interpersonal communication but they are not required to study the subject of intention or the correlation between personal integrity and outcomes.

For decades graduates with teaching degrees have been irresponsibly loosed into public schools without having mastered Agreement-Making and Supporting. Education majors sincerely believe that No Child Left Behind is an ideal, not an achievable measurable goal.

Few education majors have confronted and acknowledged their ego; as such, they are still addicted to arguing, blaming, (it's partly the fault of . . .) and make-wrong. They are run by arrogance, fear, and survival.*

Teachers reading this tip are able to get and be with it whereas this content will trigger upset for education majors. What's written here are some of the thoughts parents (high school graduates) withhold from teachers; it's what many parents think but are afraid to say (read The Teacher's Pay Conversations Project). Instead of scheduled parent-teacher-student clearings at the end of each year graduates (citizens) have legislators communicate their dissatisfactions, specifically, of supporting us in doing mediocre work. In other words, we unconsciously force teachers (our mentors) to beg for pay comparable to say, an electrician's. This reveals another topic that's missing in an education major's speech-communication curriculum—the subject of acknowledgment, of considerately, lovingly, respectfully, bringing your mentor along with you. As in the sales profession a teacher's wages always perfectly mirror ones communication skills. The leadership-communication skills it takes to effect satisfactory wages and operating expenses are the exact same skills it takes to communicate subject matter.

A student always mirrors the integrity of their teacher (Read Military Academy Scandals).

You'll know with absolute certainty that your child has a teacher because a teacher conducts a Homework-Agreements Session at the beginning of each year, during which the agreements are communicated.** The word communicated here is different than "telling," "discussing," "announcing," or "handling out."

Note: Even if an education major does not verbally communicate the agreements there still exists the implied agreement; a parent's implied agreement is to send their child to school with the homework done neatly. In other words, it's never ever the child's fault. Children do as children do and parents know a child can't be trusted to consistently do their homework. The consequences for breaking verbal and implied agreements are exactly the same. Children misbehave, fail, and even get sick to draw attention to a breakdown in communication at home and at school.

The Homework-Agreements Session, between the student, the student's parent(s), and the teacher is unique; it is a powerful transformative educational experience. It is a mini-communication skills workshop. Whether together in an auditorium with all the teachers, all the parents, and the all students, or privately during an appointment with just you, your child and the teacher, you will have a direct experience of co-creating the Homework Agreements. After the session parents will notice a significant positive difference in their relationships.

You will know that your child has co-created an agreement with the teacher. You'll know because you too will have an agreement. You'll have given your word that you will ensure that your child completes all homework neatly;*** you'll know that to send your child to school without the homework done completely and neatly is abusive (it doesn't feel good to the teacher), it thwarts the person you are paying to support your child's success in life. Most importantly, you'll know that to send your child to school with a broken homework agreement is to intend the undesirable consequences generated when one is out-integrity.

It's most likely that you will experience upset and anger during the Homework-Agreements Session. This is because you'll be asked to make and keep an agreement, to honor your word, no excuses, no reasons. It's possible your mind will judge the teacher to be unreasonable and self-righteous. The excuses and reasons your child will come up with for not keeping an agreement will mirror the ones you use, the ones they learned from observing you.

* An education major holding down the position of teacher is still run by fear and survival. Financial survival, (having a job) is more important than supporting the integrity of a student and his/her parents(s). The premise being—if one hands out homework and does not rigorously support it being handed in neatly and on time then both the parents(s) and the student experience the consequences of having broken the homework agreement, of having treated the teacher abusively (it doesn't feel good to the teacher), of thwarting (sabotaging) a teacher. A teacher's integrity affects the outcomes of the student and the student's parents. An education major loses respect when they don't always mean what he/she says.

** I'm unaware of any university/college speech-communication curriculum for education majors that teaches Agreement-Making and Supporting. Such a curriculum requires that a student, 1. Acknowledges and cleans up life's perpetrations. 2. Commits to communicating responsibly (zero) blame and badmouthing. 3. Commits to keeping and supporting agreements. 4. Communicates openly, honestly, and spontaneously, no withholds. —Kerrith H. (Kerry) King Leadership-Relationship Communication-Skills Coach

*** "Neatly." To non-verbally support illegible/sloppy penmanship is to thwart the success of the school's penmanship teacher. Thwarting another always begets self-thwarting. A "teacher" always conducts a penmanship test at the beginning of each year. Students who can't demonstrate neat penmanship are referred to an after-school penmanship remedial class. This ensures that "neat" is a respectful conscious choice.

For more: Read, The Teacher's Communication Skills Tutorial and Imitation of Communication and a Potential Rumor about a proposed Homework-Agreements Workshop.