Question: how much influence do parents have with their children?
I am torn between two examples:
1) I have been thinking a lot lately about parents influence on their kids. I saw a post (similar to Facebook, Twitter, etc) done by a teenager and there were more than five errors in the post of fifty words. This teenager makes these mistakes often. At first I thought it was because of the nature of Facebook and Twitter but then emails from this teenager also have errors. I’ve seen this kid’s parental units posts/emails and noticed errors in most of theirs as well.
2) On the other hand, my grandfather only finished 8th grade, yet he was the smartest man I had ever met. He read a lot and he wrote even more. He talked about writing a book but he passed away from cancer before he had the chance. His son, my father, has earned his Master’s degree.
So which is it? Do parents influence their children or not? How much does outside influence factor in? I think it does but how much and what kind of influences? Does the child in the first example have a chance to pass her parents intellectually? I think I see the constant errors as ignorance and I wonder if she can ever achieve more than them? How as teachers can we help this child? Do we have any or enough sway to help? Did someone encourage my grandfather to pursue his education after he left school?
I think these questions are not easy to answer and I think they are intertwined.
I posted on the same subject.
ReplyDeleteFamilies give us our identities even if later, as older children, it might be peers who are more influential.
A person's identity comes from family history.
Hmm Meghan those are really good questions. I am not sure how to answer them, but I am going to take a stab a few of them. Maybe the girl will surpass the parents. My mother is good and writing, my dad is decent, but I really struggle to be a good writer. Something in my head is wired right for writing, but I still work on it any time that I can. I think family plays a big part in student's lives from their interaction or non-interaction. I think my sisters and I all went to college in part because parents both have degrees and it was expected of. I don't what I would have done if I hadn't gone to college. Since your grandfather well read, your father knew the importance of education. So I think that family does influence a child's life.
ReplyDeleteParents can have a tremendous influence on their children, whether in a positive manner or not. It sounds like in both of your examples that there were parental influences. These influences can be both positive and negative. We must be careful not to assume that negative parental characteristics or environment can lead to a negative influence on the child. I know many people who had horrible parental environments growing up; ie, exposure to alcoholism and drug abuse, physical and verbal abuse, etc. and turned those experiences into positive motivation to not do the same or expose their kids to the same. There’s the nature vs. nurture aspect as well as parental and peer influence.
ReplyDeleteWell, of course parents influence their children in both positive and negative ways. But, it should be noted, bad grammar does not necessarily indicate bad intellect; it just means that the kid has bad writing skills, and bad writing skills are not neccessarily a reflection of negligent parenting.
ReplyDeleteLike you point out, I believe that there are a multitude of influences on a person's education and value system. Teachers can help by realizing that they are just one of those influences, and by not disregarding the existence of the other influences while in the classroom.
I believe that yes, the educational achievements and other accomplishments a parent may have directly affect the success that their children will have. Additionally, it seems that children who come from families which have not enjoyed the same kinds of accomplishments certainly have a harder time in school, and perhaps in life. That is not to say that they are doomed, but instead, I think this presents an even greater opportunity for a teacher to make a positive impact.
ReplyDeleteThank you all so much for your thoughts and opinions. I really appreciate them!
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