Parents Nurture Cultures, Not Schools

letter to the editor

I am a naturalized citizen in this country. I totally disagree [re: "Bilingual Education Not Dead Yet" (11/28/07)] that the schools should be responsible for nurturing an individual's culture and heritage. That is a parental responsibility!!! How much more can the schools take on with the No Child Left Behind Act breathing down our necks?

Parents expect to have children and then have the schools raise them and educate them with their values. Does the expression "from the Womb into the Tomb" ring a bell!?! The schools are educational institutions; we have deviated from the main mission and very little is being accomplished. My parents did not allow us to speak English at home, but once we were out in the mainstream society, we had better use our English that we were learning in school to help with the family's needs. It is sad that parenting skills are what's missing in every ethnic group entering this country and also that the English parents are becoming more and negligent regarding their responsibilities.

This country is or has become a third world country and the future seems quite bleak for the next generations!

Maria Brito
Toms River, N.J.

Date Posted: 12/6/2007