Reflector - Timothy Christian Schools

Feature Article
Editor’s note: The Reflector asked a number of parents to read an article from the February 21, 2005,
TIME, titled “Parents Behaving Badly.” The article devoted some space to “helicopter parents,” and we
asked these Timothy parents under the condition of anonymity to respond to the article and comment on
what they observe at Timothy. This discussion will continue in future issues of the Reflector, and we invite
your letters as well.
Parents Speak Out:
Helicopter Parents
“I think it’s true that more parents have college degrees today
and that probably makes them more confident in dealing
with teachers. I think that parents are slightly more involved
now than they were when my oldest started school. I hear of
more moms who regularly help in the classroom but I don’t
hear criticism of teachers or the way they handle the children.
I don’t see a helicopter problem at Timothy. I hope that is
because we are Christians and we trust the teachers because
we know they are Christians and have our child's best
interests in mind. We are also a parent-controlled school so
we have some say over what happens in our school.
As I read the article I was struck with the fact that pushy
parents are a by-product of our society where individual
choice and success is valued above the good of the
community. Perhaps it is based on the idea that you have to
look out for yourself and push for what is best for you. The
article pointed out that the goal of these pushy parents is to
get their kid into a top-rated college, not to mold them to be
people who are using their unique talents to benefit their
communities. Our mission at Timothy is about helping
children explore God’s world and see how they fit into His
perfect plan. I do think we have to fight against the tendency
to go along with the culture, which advocates overscheduling
and focusing on grades and achievements rather
than lessons that our children need to learn to become
productive Christian adults.”
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“I felt that the article was probably all too true. Parents are
so involved with their kids these days and society is very
child-centered. It is ironic that schools are having these
problems because schools have probably fostered this
problem by teaching so much self-esteem. The educational
system has promoted the self-esteem mantra and now we
have parents and students that can see no wrong in them
and their children. The problem arises because every parent
can see the helicopter parent in someone else, but not in
themselves—their complaint is always very justified. And
continued on next page
SPRING 2006
Reflector
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