BY MITCHELL A. HUERTA
For nearly a quarter of my life, I have taught teenagers at San
Benito High School.
For nearly a quarter of my life, I have taught teenagers at San Benito High School.
In recent years, I have seen a dramatic decline in the quality of students, their commitment to learning, and their respect for themselves and others.
As adults, we have failed to hold ourselves and our children accountable for their learning and their actions. As a result, we have created a culture of failure in our public schools.
There are many factors for this development, but three causes are low expectations for students, no consequences for poor choices, and lack of parenting.
The expectation level for students at San Benito High School is very low.
Our students look like, sound like, dress like, and act like other students across the Bay Area and the United States. However, our students do not perform at the same level.
Our students are not being challenged academically; we have far too many students capable of succeeding in Advanced Placement, honors, and accelerated courses just coasting in a regular or remedial class.
What purpose does this serve? We need to expect – no, demand – that students take the most challenging and demanding courses to prepare them for life. At the same time, we must provide the appropriate support services and programs.
The bottom line is this: If you expect less, you will get less.
There are no meaningful consequences for not trying at San Benito High School.
Our students fail at an alarming rate yet enjoy these benefits: assemblies, rallies, dances, sporting events, and, perhaps, most importantly, social interaction with friends.
We have far too many students who need more than a full academic load to graduate in June.
What were their consequences for not trying in five, six, seven or eight classes?
We need appropriate consequences for not trying, such as, alternative schooling off the premises of San Benito High School.
Some believe this is too severe, that we are punishing students and parents for lack of commitment to learning and education. Actually, we are punishing students now by keeping them in a system that has failed to meet their needs or vice versa.
We need innovative programs to help students and parents receive the most for their tax dollars.
We can not continue to place Band-Aids on academic casualties until they can no longer breathe (graduate). Remember, if there are no consequences for not trying (failure), then what are the motivations for trying (success)?
Finally, San Benito High School needs to teach the community, especially parents, the importance of education.
We need to explain our expectations and philosophies to all students and parents before they arrive at our school. Here, this is what we expect and demand.
We need to send a strong message to our community that education is the No. 1 priority in your house.
Ultimately, parents are responsible for every aspect of their children’s lives, not teachers.
We need parents to demand their child’s personal best and stop accepting not trying. We need parents to teach hard work, accountability and responsibility to their children and their neighbor’s children.
Frankly, if parents do not instill the value of hard work, accountability and responsibility in their children, then how do parents expect teachers to demand excellence from their students?
Mitchell A. Huerta is a teacher at San Benito High School.
