It was extremely disappointing when Timberlane’s Coral Hampe, President of the Timberlane Teachers’ Association, disparaged parents over proposed legislation that could help parents, when it comes to objectionable material that is assigned to their children.
When the original bill was under consideration several years ago, I was there along with other parents, fighting to get this law passed. I heard from enough parents to see that they were angry and frustrated because of the inappropriate materials and books assigned to their children in school.
For instance, The Crack Cocaine Diet was assigned to children in Litchfield several years ago. If you read the reviews, you will see how dark this book is. Imagine you have a child suffering from depression, and this book is assigned to your child. You might want them to read an alternative book as they maneuver their way through that difficult time.
How do you handle that when all students are assigned books that may be inappropriate for one or a few?
We came up with an idea to pass legislation that allows a parent to opt their children out of objectionable material at their expense with approval from the administration. This would not disrupt the class, and for parents who were okay with these materials, their children could complete the assignment.
You’d think this would be an easy law to pass, but it was not. There are always distractors who object to parental involvement in their child’s education. In this case, today, it’s the Timberlane Teachers Union.
A law intended to be a compromise between teachers and parents so that all parties are respected, would slightly change if HB 1015 were to pass. HB1015 would require teachers to notify parents two weeks in advance of curriculum course material to be used in classroom instruction, and address the delivery notification method to a parent or legal guardian.
Current law wouldn’t change that much. It just requires teachers to make available to parents the materials two weeks ahead of time.
Transparency is always a good thing, but this may present some challenges to teachers, as we saw in the hearing.
What happens if the Governor wants to stop in and visit with the 4th-grade class and lets the teacher know a few days in advance? How would that work? Teachers are changing up their materials all of the time. Is this two-week notice reasonable? These are essential questions that need to be answered for the legislators to support this bill.
Unfortunately, what we saw from this message from Coral Hampe was lazy and offensive to parents whom they are supposed to be serving.
Parents are beginning to question what is assigned to their children in school, and good for them. They want excellence in public education and deserve it. Any good teacher would be making much of this transparent before the class ever begins. That’s the way you minimize parents discovering that something inappropriate was assigned to their child.
Instead of showing such hostility to parents in New Hampshire, start talking to the few teachers who think pushing the envelope with someone else’s child is okay. Parents want a good quality public education for their children. They are demanding it.
Preach academic excellence to the teachers you serve, so they are less likely to encounter angry parents. Great works of literature stand the test of time for a reason. Some of the garbage we see assigned is below grade level and has no literary value. Parents aren’t going to accept this anymore. But when it comes to any proposed law, legislators also need to consider how this would play out in the classroom. Is it reasonable?
If it is not, then make that argument before the committee members. Do not treat good parents as if they are just an interference.
If you care about public education then you have to start working to make it the best option available to parents. When they see excellence in their public schools, that is where they will choose to send their children. When you offer garbage, they will either leave or fight back. Why not work to make public education the best option instead of fighting the parents who want their kids in the public schools?
UPDATE 1/26/22:
