Lopsided Competition
In my day, or at least in New York City, where I had grown up, teachers wouldve sent projects back home if there was any indication that the parents had done it.
So what are we teaching students when we cant even trust them to make their own art? What kind of lopsided competition is this when their learning development is circumvented by the competition between parents?
I gave our warped bee back and said, No, Im not going to do it. This is my little girls work and I want it to be properly displayed with the rest of the projects.
The teacher looked ill at the thought, but I ignored it. I scanned the exhibit and found a prominent place for my daughters little bee.
As I walked out the classroom, I found a parent who had been in the room earlier that day. He had just returned from Michaels with a bag of art supplies to rework his daughters project into a majestic mosquito while she played in the schoolyard.
Buzzing With Excitement
Apparently, the current generation of parents doesnt want to have their children deal with disappointment. Because theyre so protective, their children wont realize until its too late that in this dog-eat-dog world and things wont always go their way. Were unrealistically educating our children to believe that they can get what they want when they want it, and if they dont, that their parentsor someone elsewill make sure they do.
I for one will continue raising my kids the old-school way. I want them to learn now that life isnt always easy. Its competitive, sometimes not kind and can be full of disappointment.
They need to find their own way and be independent. I want them to work hard for something they truly want, but most of all, I want them to be good people. (Now, if I could just get my little brats to clean up their room, I will have truly succeeded.)
Kiki Melendez and her daughters Alessandra and Isabella Berry
People need to stop coddling their children. Instead, they need to prepare them for the real world, as ugly as it can be. Those children can then become busy, productive bees, buzzing with excitement at their own accomplishments.
Another by article from author Kiki Melendez:
Cesar Chavez Plants the Seeds of Success
Super Hispanic Immigrants Make Huge Contributions
Kiki Melendez Hispanic Comedian an Entertainment Pioneer
