Letters: Children hurt by bad parenting

I do not believe any amount of money poured into schools, no matter which district, will make a difference. The essential reason children are not learning is bad parenting.

Children grow up with noise in their homes and lack of communication. The more privileged are staring at computers, iPhones and the like. If they cannot be entertained by TV, computers or texting, they are restless and bored. It would not dawn on them to sit quietly and read a book, or interact with their family. They are allowed this behavior by parents who have their noses in their iPhones too.

For poor children, there’s the TV blaring constantly and Mama on the phone talking loud about useless information to someone who will listen; she’s not interested in her kids learning.

Rich or poor, no one is really learning; a few may memorize enough to get through school, but true understanding, cultivating a depth of learning, is absent, and it’s not the teachers’ fault. It’s the parents’ fault.

The only possible way money will improve learning is through after-school programs that don’t have to follow laws about what to teach or who will teach it. Let a retired person read to kids, let the kids read and listen; engage children in conversation, read the newspaper with them. Good luck.