Pushback

Recently, I was trying to carpool to school with another family but the child involved was rude to both my children and myself while in our car.  He instigated power struggles over the radio and finally one day was outright insulting and snide. 

On that day I began to reconsider the idea of carpooling.

At the same time as all of that was going his parent kept trying to take advantage of me and (perhaps) what she perceived as my less demanding schedule.

It took me a little while to realize what was going on. 

I wasn't sure if I was over reacting.  I wondered if it was really as bad as I was making it out to be?

After looking at the problem I realized that I was in the presence of a bully (and a bully-in-training) who were going to use every well honed technique they had developed to get their way on their terms.

I have met my share of people like this over the years. 

When I described what was going on to a couple of people who's opinions I trust they advised me to get out of the situation as quickly as possible. 

It ended with the bully parent yelling at me over the phone when I called the whole operation off. Twice really since I answered a second call with the same result. 

At that point I knew there was no other option than completely ending the relationship. Yelling is not a technique that will work on me, I do not cower in fear of a loud voice.

Later, the bully reevaluated her approach to try to manipulate me using a reasonable tone of voice on a long voicemail message,  but by then it was too late.  I know a bully when I see one and I knew that this particular situation was only going to work against me and my family.

The point of this story is that I am,  for the moment, hopeful.  There is what I call pushback. 

When we have been pushed too far, either alone or collectively there is going to be a moment where we question if what is going on is reasonable. 

I believe collectively parents are in this moment right now. 

Parents everywhere are looking at their children who are struggling with reading and thinking something along the lines of,

"Is this really our problem or should the schools be doing something differently?"

Sadly, most parents are alone with their fears and struggles regarding their children's reading issues. 

It can be difficult to even admit out loud that their child (whom they were so convinced was bright up until the point where they started trying to read in school) is struggling.

Still, after enough parents start to become educated as to the mediorce teaching methodologies that are currently being used in both the public and private schools these same parents are going to start pushing back.

It is not okay that school professionals attempt to blame children for not being able to read. 

In our state there is a new requirement on the law books that third graders that cant pass a standardized reading test will be failed. 

This is bad (because it's so obviously wrong) and yet it is good (because it is helping to mobilize parents and the truly well meaning educators of the world).

Pushback. 

Be prepared to see more of it in the future.