Carol Gibson
Contributor
The following excerpt came from the Friday, Dec. 3, 2010 edition of The Madison Enterprise-Recorder. At the time Carol Gibson was the Instructional Coach for Madison County High School.
My teaching career began in 1971 in Copenhagen, New York. After leaving New York State, I taught at the Columbia County Kindergarten Center in Lake City. My teaching career in Madison County began in 1986. Presently, I am fortunate to be at Madison County High School as the reading coach, working with a group of dedicated people who have student success on their minds at all times.
When Kristin Finney contacted me about writing this article, I knew immediately what I wanted to address – the most important ingredient in a child's life – the parents.
Good parenting involves more than an education, food, and shelter. It involves teaching good habits and values, teaching them right from wrong and showing them how to make good decisions. It is important to be successful in school, but as Teddy Roosevelt said, “To educate a person in the mind, but not the morals, is to educate a menace to society.”
Being an educator for many years, I am dedicated to seeing students succeed in school, but I also know that equally important are the values that we need to be instilling in out children. Parents – these values come from the home, and must be taught, enforced, preached and modeled. Contrary to popular belief, the “village” cannot do it without dedicated parents at home. “Don't worry that your children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you.” – Robert Fulghum.
Growing up in a small town (smaller than Madison) in western New York, my first teachers were Bill and Betty Zurbrick, my parents. Education was top priority in the home. Time was set aside each night for study and no TV was on during that allotted time. Books and supplies were made available for us.
We knew (brother and sister) that school was important and the teachers were to be respected. To become a teacher was about as high as you could go in my parents' eyes, and to their delight, they produced two teachers. Brother Bill graduated from college, went into the U.S. Navy and then on to a successful career with Delta Airlines. For Mom and Dad, it was mission accomplished. This was done due to much sacrifice on their part. They not only provided us with the opportunity for an education, but also prepared us for the world in which we live. Thank you, Mom and Dad!
On July 31, 1985, my husband, Dale and I were given the awesome responsibility of parenting our son, Bill. You might say the cycle continues. Our expectations were similar to the way we were raised.
Education was given top priority; teachers were held in high esteem; respect was expected; good decision-making emphasized, along with choosing right from wrong. Our mission was accomplished on December 19, 2009, when Bill graduated from the University of Florida and, thankfully, is now gainfully employed by the Madison County Health Department.
Parents need to be attentive and dedicated to providing their children with what they need to be successful in school and in life. It means being attentive, involved, concerned parents who are aware of what their child is doing in and out of school, working with teachers to support their child as they make the “learning journey” through childhood in anticipation of welcoming a well-prepared addition to the world of adulthood.