Would You Hire This Teacher?

Imagine you were the principal of the school that your child would be attending. Imagine that you were authorized to pick out which teachers to hire.

Who would you pick? Let's look at some of the applicants.

Would you hire someone to teach your children if she had not graduated from high school or college?

Would you want someone to teach your children who used four-letter words pulled directly out of the garbage dump?

Would you pick teachers who might drink, smoke pot, or use other illegal drugs in front of the students?

Would you hire teachers who would yell at the kids and called them filthy names?

Would you hire someone to teach if that person walked into the building with an attitude, mumbled responses to your questions, didn?t look you in the eye, and then made derogatory racial comments about some of the people she saw coming into the waiting room?

How would you feel about hiring teachers who hit, kicked or slapped your children?

Well, guess what folks! Those kids are teaching our children, and we don?t even have to pay them to teach. That's right! Every day, those people are teaching children right here in south Georgia.

What? You think this is a joke? Well, friends, look in the mirror. Or look around you when you go out in public, because every woman or man you see with a child is a teacher.

Our government has restrictions on who can marry, smoke, drive, drink and vote, but there are no restrictions on who may become a parent. Age, background and ability to raise and nurture a child are insignificant.

So, let?s ask a few questions here, and see how you fare.

Have you ever driven five miles over the speed limit? Or more?

If you answer yes, you may be teaching your children that they do not have to follow rules.

Do you ever make negative racial or gender comments or jokes around your children?

If you answer yes, you may be teaching them to be prejudiced in a world already too filled with strife.

Do you cuss, use profanity, or say vulgar words around your children?

If you reply yes, you may be teaching your children behaviors that are anti-social and unacceptable in public.

Do you laze around the house, unemployed, blaming everyone else in the world because you don?t have a job?

If you answer yes, you may be teaching your children to expect others to support them financially, and that they have no control over their future.

Do you drink and smoke around your children?

If you said yes, you may be teaching your children that unhealthy activities are okay.

Do you boast of sexual activities around your children? Or make inappropriate sexual gestures to others?

If you replied yes, you may be teaching your children that their bodies have no value, and that sex is unrelated to love or marriage.

Do you hit your husband, wife or children when they aren?t perfect, according to your standards?

If you do, you may be teaching your children to use violence, to bully, and to disrespect the rights of others.

Do you yell and scream at your children?

If so, you may be teaching your children that they are bad people.

Do you make fun of those who may be less attractive or less intelligent or less prosperous than you?

If so, you may be teaching your children to be intolerant of those who are different.

Do you allow your children to ride in the car without a seatbelt or on their bicycles without helmets?

If you answered yes, you are teaching them that they are invincible and that their safety does not matter.

Do you watch movies that show excessive violence and graphic sexual scenes?

If you answered yes, you may be encouraging them to try out both violence and sex as soon as possible so they will feel ?grown up.?

Now, back to the original question. What type of person do you want teaching your child? Would you hire yourself?

Many of us who have raised children see first-hand that they learned lessons we wish we had not taught them. If this has happened to you, we invite you to share. It may not be easy to admit a failing in public, but it takes courage to turn something around into a positive learning experience.

Quotation of the Week

"Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them." -- James Baldwin

I wish you peace.

Karyl Chastain Beal
ReluctantTraveler

Karyl Chastain Beal, Retired from teaching about 100 yearsColumbia, Tennessee. Writer - Chicken Soup for the Unsinkable Soul, newspaper and magazine articles and stories. http://grieving-parents.com

Memorial to daughter, Arlynhttp://virtual-memorials.com/servlet/ViewMemorials?memid=7461&pageno=1