The idea that it should only be taught in school and educated at home is a phrase that should invite us all to reflect, especially since nowadays it is always expressed in the form of an affirmation, and affirming something like that carries too many nuances. Why? Because affirming it, for example, would be like saying that the school is simply in charge of transmitting knowledge of mathematics, language, geometry, history, geography, English or any other subject that is normally worked in an academic space, and that only parents It is time to play the role of educating children by the fact of being theirs and their maximum responsibility.
That is, parents are uniquely responsible for things such as greeting in the morning or thanking after a favor, and they are also responsible for children putting into practice learned and necessary values such as eating with the mouth shut or being punctual. But is this true? One might also wonder, where is the role of society in education, which by the way also has a considerable influence on the development of childhood. Or is it that, for example, not many parents sometimes have the feeling that it is the norms of the parents of their children’s classmates, which end up being imposed in their own home when their children act in a different way than the one they have been taught at home?
This idea, among many others, is a test of how creating an absolute divorce between the role of the school and that of the home, leaving out other actors involved, could have unfavorable consequences for any community. And it is that the foundations to create a value system in any society are parents, but also grandparents or other close relatives. Learning to be neat and orderly, greet the elderly with respect, be punctual or avoid harassment and disrespect for others, are just some of the initial learnings of a good education in values and can be learned in various places, like school, where other values as important as team spirit, fair play or sincerity and companionship are also learned.
The role of teachers and parents in the education of children
Although the phrase that you should teach in school and educate at home is often repeated today, the truth is that there has not been a time in history when teachers should not worry about it too. In fact, educating social intelligence has always been one of the most important values for a teacher and the school is the main vehicle for teaching the youngest certain guidelines on how to behave.
Consequently, do teachers who hope not to have to teach standards of behavior in the classroom fully understand their work? Because the truth is that, if we think about it, you cannot teach values to a person without teaching what they consist of and working on them, but that is something that in any case should be learned first at home. But… what if this doesn’t happen? Do teachers have to work harder because parents don’t do their job and heed their responsibility?
That is the question and one of the main reasons why the debate on the need to teach in school and to educate at home has been opened, but when we participate in it we should not forget that it cannot serve as an excuse for educators, since To say that teachers are in no way responsible for educating is like saying that automakers have no obligation to worry about wheels.
Any good teacher in a nursery classroom, for example, knows that you have to start the course by reviewing the behavioral expectations of a class and asking students to help generate a list of everything necessary so that an environment can be created conducive to learning, such as listening when others are speaking. That is, it is a priority to understand, firstly, that values are not taught, they are transmitted , and secondly, to be aware that values are transmitted to children not only by parents, but also by other people who surround. Although, of course, it would be very unfortunate if parents were the first to be left out of teaching their children, since their role must be the most active in this task.
Ultimately, the debate on whether to teach exclusively at school and educate at home is an unfinished issue that requires the participation of the whole of society: parents, teachers, grandparents … as well as the rest of the people, whether they have it or not. have children and to a greater or lesser degree, because we can all influence others . It is in the hands of all that the children of today and the adults of tomorrow can know and internalize positive educational values such as honesty, generosity, love, compassion, patience, humility or self-discipline, since it depends on what little by little, the next active and responsible inhabitants of society are created and developed.
And you, what do you think about it?
What if the delegation of parents work in the school to teach values and good manners to the students, (and although they are learning everything), even so, the teachers are still far from reaching the minimum normality? at the same time that they keep repeating that everything is because of the parents?