Parental, school, and community involvement are necessary for students' academic success
This passage echoes earlier statements made by Miller. He advocates the tight connection among teachers, parents, and the community in order to best serve the student population.
Citing this Excerpt
Oral History Interview with George Miller, January 19, 1991. Interview M-0015. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) in the Southern Oral History Program Collection, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Full Text of the Excerpt
- GEORGE MILLER:
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Well, you start with a few, first you have to get the child interested
and you're going to tell them something to entice them to
come to the PTA program or reception. You have got to get them to come
but then you have to let them know. When I first became principal I
never had to worry about getting people to come because they are going
to come the first time just to see me and find out what I had to say.
That is when I said it right then. I let them know what I meant--whether
I would spank their child or whatnot--If you don't want them
spanked, you come off your job and come over here and spank them. I
expect to see you back here every month when we are doing so and so. I
don't want to see you crowding in the basketball game and
can't come over here for anything else. Don't tell
me that you live 20 miles away. You go anywhere you want to go. You go
to the fair, you go anywhere. This is the most precious thing that you
have--your child. You trust him with me for 7 1/2 hours a day. Please
give me that respect. If you want me to do a job with him, put him in my
care. I said, remember we have a whole lot so don't expect us
to be a nursemaid for every one of them because we don't have
that many nurses. So your child is going to have to learn some manners
and some discipline too. Parental conferences are important. Now you
must realize you can't always set the parental conferences
based on your time. You have to a lot of times set the parental
conferences based on the parents time and you have some parents who are
working third shift or second shift who come in he may want to be
sleeping during the morning. When do you have that conference with that
parent. That is when you need to know. Therefore, I would do what we
would call a parental survey so we could find out--most times just a
name and address isn't sufficient...