I read something in a magazine this week that annoyed me so much so that I actually e mailed the publishers of the magazine. It was a readers letter from a mum who said that her son was struggling with his spelling but ‘as a busy mum’ she didn’t have time to help him. She does go on to say that she discovered her local library, got him a library card and his spelling has now greatly improved but I really don’t think that’s the point.
As a mother, I do everything I can to encourage my children’s learning and when it was apparent that Master Frugal was struggling, I did everything I could do help him. I don’t have much spare time myself, if I’m not at work you can usually find me ferrying the kids between their activities, in the kitchen cooking or somewhere else in the house tweeting tidying but I ALWAYS make time for my children.
I get that the letter highlights that libraries are a great resource but I don’t think a letter with a mum saying she was too busy to help her son with something he was struggling with should be published and I certainly don’t agree that it was the ‘Star Letter’ and the busy mum was awarded £500 worth of vouchers.
I know I’m probably being over sensitive because of the time and effort I’ve put in to Master Frugal’s learning recently but one of the things I was told at Parents Evening the other night was that one of the reasons that he was selected as one of the very few pupils in the school to take part in the Reading Recovery program was because they knew he would get the support at home. So whilst I could never explain how grateful I am to the school that he was selected, it is upsetting that the reason some children missed out was because the teachers did not feel that they would receive the necessary support from their parents to strengthen their learning.
Our children’s education is as much our reponsibility as it is the schools, if not more and I take that responsibility seriously – Do you?
**Steps down off soapbox**
