But what separates those of us who are a little bit smarter than the rest is that I know that I’m not that smart. My limitations are very clear to me: I do not know that much.
So when someone says that I know better than someone who has had years of training in a specific field, I know that it is not true. Case in point, while I was living in Georgia a local school system was faced with a growing parent belief that they know how to best educate their children. While coming to this belief they tried to take over the school system by forcing lawmakers to purpose new bills on their behalf. The chief theme of these bills was to take power away from the educational professionals and put them in the hands of the parents. Concerned that the local population of Georgia really didn’t have the educational training, years of experience, or professional credentials to teach the next generation, I wrote the following editorial was printed in the local paper:
June 18, 2007
I understand that you've received lots of mail against the new "Parent's know best" educational model that has just been signed into law, so I thought that I would be the dissenting voice to those letters.
As a parent who believes in the freedom to do their own children's dental work, I believe that I also know best when it comes to my child's education. Sure I'm not a trained educator or dentist, and don't have any fancy degrees to back up either the educational training or decent bathroom root canals, but I think that my best intentions trump decades of experience and should be good enough for my child's future.
I would also like to thank all of those representatives that I voted to give me more power over so called "professionals" who think that they know "stuff" just because they went to college in that field and spent years working on their craft. Who do those people think they are to question my absence of knowledge when it comes to directing the next generation? Not everyone can be a parent, and when you become one you immediately know what is best for your child in every aspect of life. Now if you'll excuse me, I think my son's appendix just burst and I need to find my good set of pliers.
– Brian Hamilton
Now I know that was blunt to the point of tongue through cheek, but I felt that it needed to be done. We all are not experts in everything and just because our intentions are good, does not mean that we have any idea what we are doing. So please, anytime anyone tells you that you know best, know that they are lying to you and have ulterior motives.
Original Story: http://www.northfulton.com/Articles-i-2007-06-14-157890.112113-Do_parents_really_know_best_about_education_matters_.html
Editorial: http://www.northfulton.com/Articles-i-2007-05-24-157227.112113_Parents_know_best_is_new_mantra_of_education.html
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