When I and others have argued for schools to teach life skills and getting rid of subjects that most never use in the real world one of the counter arguments I and these others receive is that it is not the school's responsibility but the parent's responsibility.

Here are my issues with the concept of it is the parent's responsibility.   For one, we have what is called compulsory school laws.   One's child is required by law to go to school for a certain amount of days and a certain amount of hours.  The typical child's day for school is Monday through Friday with some holidays plus summer vacation mixed in.  It is about 7-8 hours per day that they're there.   Sometimes longer if they have to ride a bus home with multiple stops.   If they have a lot of homework and tests they then they have to spend a good chunk of that time studying for tests and homework all for some of the subjects they will never or rarely use in their daily lives.

All of these subjects deemed necessary are not deemed as so by the local schools or the teachers but by those in Washington DC.  Our public education system is a system that is a top-down system which means all from the administrators, educators, students, parents and other stakeholders are required to follow the law from above.

With this being said, if parents are expected to have these responsibilities then shouldn't they have the rights and the ability to exercise the rights that go hand in hand with these responsibilities?  Shouldn't parents have the ability to choose what the child will learn and the frequency to which the child will learn said subject matter whether it is an academic subject like math or life skill subject like getting a job.  You say well parents may not do anything with their child or neglect them.   Well, let me ask you this.  With all of the compulsory school laws and all other government laws how good of a job do they do to educate children and to keep them safe?  But, I digress.

There is the saying that with rights come responsibilities but shouldn't responsibilities come with rights as well?  Shouldn't parents have a say in their child's future and not some distant law maker who may neither understand parenting or that particular child's needs?  Or, if parents are truthfully to incompetent to make full decisions for what the child will learn or not learn then shouldn't it be the school's responsibility then since one as a parent has little to no say as to what the child will learn and how they'll learn it?  Shouldn't parents have more of a say so and set the criteria for their own children instead of people at the top who know nothing about how you live or who your child is?   If it is the parent's responsibility then let them have the rights and power behind that responsibility.  Let them have the power to choose for themselves and what works for them and their child.  

It's not the school's job to push political matters. It's everybody's own choice to decide if they support things like LBGT issues or not. In fact, schools should have a general no politics tolerance policy when it comes to those issues. Kids are there to learn educational facts, not social issues. You being black, gay, trans, female, Spanish, or Muslim has nothing to with reading, writing, and arithmetic.

Quote from: Sick Of Silence on May 03, 2019, 09:48:23 AM
It's not the school's job to push political matters. It's everybody's own choice to decide if they support things like LBGT issues or not. In fact, schools should have a general no politics tolerance policy when it comes to those issues. Kids are there to learn educational facts, not social issues. You being black, gay, trans, female, Spanish, or Muslim has nothing to with reading, writing, and arithmetic.

Oh, I agree!  I think children need skills that are beyond academia.  Like how to get a job.  And other things!  The schools determine what children will learn and the hours they're there by law.  If parents are responsible for their child's future then shouldn't they be the ones to decide the children will be educated with from academics to life skills?  Why should ppl from DC get to make this sole decision?  Why should school boards?