As a father and now a grandfather, I know the most important thing I can do to insure the success of my child as an adult is to make sure my child gets a good education. That is my job. That is my responsibility. That is the bolder on my shoulders.
I want an Albert Einstein to be my child’s math teacher. I want a Charles Dickens to be my child’s English teacher. I want a Stephen Hawkins to be my child’s science teacher. I want a John Hope Franklin to be my child’s history teacher. This is what every father wants. This is what every parent wants. This is what every parent craves.
However, if such a scenario were possible, it would be up to me as a father to make sure my child does what they need to do to make sure they get the full benefit of these wonderful teachers.
As a father, it is up to me to be judge, jury and executioner concerning school as the need arises. It is up to me to make sure my child values education. It is up to me to make sure my child goes to school, goes to class, does their school work while in school, acts appropriately while in class and do their homework. It is up to me to go to parent / teacher conferences. It is up to me to make sure my child is on the path to graduate on time. It is up to me to make sure my child is not running the streets at night and is getting enough rest to do well in school the next day. It is my job to make sure my child is in bed on school nights by 9:00 in elementary school, 10:00 in middle school and 11:00 in high school. It is up to me to set the example for my child to make sure they get a good education by making sure the electricity stays on, food is in the refrigerator and clothes are on their backs while making sure my child understands D’s, F’s and bad behavior will not be tolerated under any circumstances.
As a father, it is my job to take care of any problem that exists between the school and my child. It is my job to make sure my child understands that if they are wrong in any way, shape or form, they will suffer consequences they don’t want to suffer.
The job of the school is to offer my child a quality education. My job as a father is to make sure my child takes advantage of every educational opportunity offered to them, whether my child wants to take advantage of that opportunity or not.
In an age when politicians are talking out of both sides of their mouths when it comes to the issue of quality education, talk show hosts who have never been in the classroom are suddenly experts on education and Americans think it is the job of the school to raise their children, my job as a father making sure my child gets a quality education has never been more important.
We can talk about fixing bad schools, getting rid of bad teachers, addressing the lack of school funding, poverty, innovations in education and anything else. Until fathers start being fathers again and taking a more active role in their child’s education, whatever we do to fix the problems in our schools will never be enough.
Too many fathers are AWOL when it comes to their role in education. Our children are paying a horrific price for these wanna-be fathers. Our nationwide high school drop-out rates are simply unacceptable, especially the national drop-out rate of 53% for Black males. Fathers, do your job. We are losing too many children.
– Jeff Artis, Roanoke
