How Teachers, Students, and Parents Can Work Together

Teaching and learning is most successful when teachers, parents, and students all pull in the same direction. 

Lee Russell

Florida’s draconian laws banning books, dehumanizing gender non-conforming students, censoring curricula on so-called “divisive topics” that just happen to correspond with the interests of minority groups has had a devastating impact on parent/teacher relationships. By emphasizing parents’ rights over academic freedom, the conservative movement has transformed the critical partnership between parents and teachers into one in which parents are positioned as a defacto policing force over teachers.

The AHA publication, Perspectives on History, has been gracious enough to publish my essay on this topic on their online forum. You can read the entire piece here.

History, taught well, should challenge our preconceived notions. Challenge, albeit discomforting, makes any field of study interesting and dynamic. However, the tension between traditional belief and evidence-based historical scholarship is a special concern in a public school classroom. On one hand, teachers have a professional responsibility to adhere to the standards of the disciplines they teach—in my case, history. On the other hand, teachers have an ethical responsibility to construct inclusive environments for all students. It is a tricky balancing act. 

Maintaining this balance requires considerable creativity on the part of the teacher and a positive and productive relationship with parents. The anecdote above offers an example of how this relationship should work. With more than 150 students, I cannot teach everything every parent wants me to teach. Nor can I exclude valid and relevant material because it may contradict a particular family’s beliefs. Concerns will arise. A skillful teacher in concert with dedicated parents can almost always resolve any conflicts that may arise from this tension…

…Read the rest of the essay.