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Parents must lead by example
Published Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Education happens everywhere, whether you want it to or not.
You cannot turn your child’s ears off when you let out a dirty word. You cannot cover their eyes every time something amoral happens on television.
And you cannot delete dishonest moves from their brains.
Little Jimmy is smart enough to know that he really does not live at grandmother’s house, even if that is what you told his school principal. He may not say anything, but Jimmy just learned a lesson — it is OK to fib to get what you want.
This type of fibbing has been going on for decades in area school districts, particularly in Concordia Parish. Parents who live in neighboring districts or parishes register their students under fake address, a friend’s address or one of a family member so the child can go to the school of the parent’s choice. Their intentions may be pure, but the actions are dishonest.
The end result is trouble for the school district, financially and legally.
Whatever the reason, the rules are the rules. If we expect our children to follow our rules — clean your room, don’t talk back — we must lead by example.
The parish schools are making a concerted effort to clean up the problem. Any student entering a new school must show proof of residency. But we know this residency is still fairly easy to fake.
It’s time, though, that the adults started teaching the right lesson.
Comments
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 1:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Parents should follow the example of our Presidents in this, those noble men who cannot tell a lie.
Posted by harvest1 (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 10:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I believe in living by example. If you drink don,t tell your kid not to, and to give you a beer from th fridge. My wife and I raised our kids by example. This is a very good article, but as you know in this society you have your pros and cons. We never took the negative side of any situation. Lies destroy a kid. Now I don't intend to be insensitive,but this Santa Claus business. My kids never believed in S.C. We must stop all lies.
Posted by happybunny (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 10:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
At least Santa Claus is relatively harmless, unlike telling your child, "if anyone asks, you live in Vidalia".
Posted by babyblu2001 (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 12:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It's sad that people that live in Natchez have to lie for their children to go to a good school. This has been going on for as long as I can remember. Maybe the Adams County School Board should learn a lesson in the lies....that the schools there need a lot of work. I understand that their are obstacles in receiving funding for schools, but there are ways to overcome them. Maybe the right people aren't being addressed...or could be the people that do all the "reaching out". If it's still like it was when I was in Adams County schools, there isn't enough parental support to make the changes that need to be made. Natchez will not continue to grow if the "future leaders" do not receive an education. The teachers there have always been great, but have very little tools and not much support to work with. Everyone remembers how when International Paper closed many families were forced to move away...if the schools systems would have been improved many years ago (prior to its closing) there would have probably been more businesses developed so I.P. wasn't the only decent paying job to be found in Natchez. People can barely afford to live there anymore without having to go offshore, etc. People go through elementary and high school there, go off to college and never come back, because there aren't any jobs available to them to utilize their hard work and skills. With more education comes more financial security, not only for the individual but also their hometown.
Posted by harvest1 (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 1:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
MY MOM ALWAYS TOLD ME A LIE IS A LIE. And,she told me about santa claus. There was the easter bunny also, but I figured out early--that rabbits don't lay chicken eggs in colors. Lets not forget the tooth fairy. This is just to mention a few lies that people tell their kids. But you are right about teaching kids to lie about where they live is wrong. No lie is relative harmless. It's still untruth.
Posted by Yeahuhuh (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 1:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
EnKik is right about the lying being from the president on down. There are too many examples of lying in politics for anyone to think that the common folks will not lie. Seems I remember not too long ago there were allegations that even the sheriff across the river mandated that folks under his employ be registered to vote over there even though he reportedly knew of some who lived elsewhere.
I am not going to admonish folks for lying. I will just try to minimize it myself.
Posted by sammohon (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 9:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
EnK was being his usual sarcastic self, but to compare Bush with the implied Nixon is just wrong. Bush may have been mistaken, he may have been wrong, but there is no proof that he intentionally lied to anyone, for any reason, or at any time...he seems to be acting from personally held conviction, wrong or right, it's far better than a Johnson, Nixon or Obama.
Posted by Bobaloo (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 11:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
he did not have to lie, his peeps did it for him.
Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on July 26, 2008 at 10:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
you guys are extending the argument out of context
Presidential lies are another issue altogether as that entails complex realities of National Security and foggy intelligence.
But this article is spot on in regards to people attending Vidalia schools that shouldn't be there. We bought a house over there for that reason, and later sold it when our daughter graduated. But we didn't tell any lies, we made a sacrifice.
We need to face the real issue over here in Adams Co and that is to get administrators that will enforce discipline and allow teachers to have CONTROL of their classroom. Unruly students should be sent to an alternative boot camp that will jerk a knot in their butt to make them behave. Of course the parents that enable their children's bad behaviors should also be dealt with in a firm manner. With the cameras coming into the classrooms, it should be an easy matter to prove and demonstrate any child's behavior and that should shut up the bad parents.
Let's clean up the Adams Co Schools. So families won't have to worry about their kids everyday, and families won't have to go broke sending their kids to private school, or figure out some underhanded method of sending their kids across the river. Support the Committee for Better Public Schools and continue to press hard for improvement by talking to and arguing strongly with your BOS, Mayor, Aldermen, and School Board members for ACTION. We're all tired of the bureaucratic bull.
Posted by Peace007 (anonymous) on July 29, 2008 at 12:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Think of all the things that those wasted billions could have been used for in this country, for healthcare, new schools, education...but,
http://www.bigpond.com/news/world/conten...
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationw...
Posted by momof4 (anonymous) on August 7, 2008 at 2:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hi ! I don't get online much AT ALL!! at the present time I am at my sister's home and on her computer. I was at the courthouse in vidalia a few months ago and saw a case involving a woman that was arrested. And her ex-husband, who was not arrested their names were Susan and David hinson,they were divorcing and somehow the woman(Susan) actually had custody of their kids.. the sad part is that just a week earlier she had been arrested for shoplifting... well, i dug a little and found out that she had been arrested 5 times this year alone for shoplifting,in 2003 she stole a credit card from her kid's teacher and charged 13 times on it.... and now i found out that she was arrested for illegal drugs(i mean 4 counts) and the cops stopped her from giving the drugs to her child to hide it from the cops... WOW!! the sad part is that the judge in vidalia louisiana gave HER custody of the children and the father has SUPERVISED visitation.. I dug into the fathers past and it is really sad... The father has been living right and HAS not been arrested for anything but violating a restraining order.. (by texting on a cell phone lol) what is funny is that he was found innocent of that and the charges were dismissed... where is the justice for the children.. CHECK IT OUT!!!! the Father is David E Hinson... and the mother is Susan C Hinson (maiden is Susan Reeves).. she has court in vidalia coming up on possession of C.D.S. 2-3-4 and 5 and the judge that did all of this is Judge Kathy Johnson.... check it out!!! LETS LET THE JUDGE KNOW THAT WE KNOW SHE IS RUNNING FOR RE_ELECTION.. and we dont want people like Susan Hinson coaching our kids and teaching our kids anything.. PLEASE call the courthouse on concordia parish and check out all of this
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