Mom Makes Son Wear Sign Announcing Poor GPA: Tough Love or Humiliation?
SodaHead Living
2011/02/22 15:32:50
|
|
|||||
|
821 votes
|
|
64% | |||
|
468 votes
|
|
36% | |||
A Florida mom may not have had the best approach to getting her son to improve his grades, but something good might come out of it.
Ronda Holder, 33, made her 15-year-old son stand on an East Tampa street corner for nearly four hours last Wednesday wearing a sign around his neck with this message:
"I did 4 questions on my FCAT and said I wasn't going to do it … GPA 1.22 … honk if I need (an) education," The St. Petersburg Times reported.
Holder, a hair stylist, said she wants her son, James Mond III, to improve his grades now before he ends up on the street.
"I don't want any of my kids to stand by the side of the road asking for change," she said.
But here's where the story may have a happy ending. When a local TV crew spotted James (who is still in eighth grade), Franklin Middle School enrolled him in after-school tutoring.
On Thursday, Holder got a letter from her son's history teacher claiming his grades are improving.
James has also never been tested for a learning disability, but until the middle of seventh grade, his grades were fine.
But not everyone is thrilled with Holder's parenting skills. The Department of Children and Families came to Holder's home to interview James, and spokesman Terry Field said the sign might legally be considered a form of maltreatment.
"It definitely would fall within the category of emotional abuse. It's shame, embarrassment and humiliation. This will be a lifelong memory for him," Arlinda Amos, a licensed clinical psychologist and ombudsman for the Hillsborough Children's Board, told the paper.
James also said the sign was "embarrassing," but thinks his mom was coming from a good place.
"She was trying to teach me a lesson," he said. "I should have been working harder than I was in school."
As for Holder, she still believes she did the right thing.
"You can't resort to spanking," she said. "I want my child to have an education and have his children be able to look at him and say, 'I can get an education, too.'"
Ronda Holder, 33, made her 15-year-old son stand on an East Tampa street corner for nearly four hours last Wednesday wearing a sign around his neck with this message:
"I did 4 questions on my FCAT and said I wasn't going to do it … GPA 1.22 … honk if I need (an) education," The St. Petersburg Times reported.
Holder, a hair stylist, said she wants her son, James Mond III, to improve his grades now before he ends up on the street.
"I don't want any of my kids to stand by the side of the road asking for change," she said.
But here's where the story may have a happy ending. When a local TV crew spotted James (who is still in eighth grade), Franklin Middle School enrolled him in after-school tutoring.
On Thursday, Holder got a letter from her son's history teacher claiming his grades are improving.
James has also never been tested for a learning disability, but until the middle of seventh grade, his grades were fine.
But not everyone is thrilled with Holder's parenting skills. The Department of Children and Families came to Holder's home to interview James, and spokesman Terry Field said the sign might legally be considered a form of maltreatment.
"It definitely would fall within the category of emotional abuse. It's shame, embarrassment and humiliation. This will be a lifelong memory for him," Arlinda Amos, a licensed clinical psychologist and ombudsman for the Hillsborough Children's Board, told the paper.
James also said the sign was "embarrassing," but thinks his mom was coming from a good place.
"She was trying to teach me a lesson," he said. "I should have been working harder than I was in school."
As for Holder, she still believes she did the right thing.
"You can't resort to spanking," she said. "I want my child to have an education and have his children be able to look at him and say, 'I can get an education, too.'"
Read More: http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/article...
Top Opinion
-
Dr Ed Miller 2011/02/22 16:57:32Tough Love
+25Way to go Florida Mom! As a college professor, I have too many undergarduate and graduate students who cannot write, think critically, nor follow simple instructions. It starts in government run schools while I've seen those who have graduated from other schools have the same low skill set. If you're a parent and your child isn't doing well in school, do what you can to help them, make the sacrifice and ensure they succeed. This is the beginning of their life.
this is called good parenting.
"This will be a lifelong memory for him."
YEAH THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT!!!
For anyone who might argue that....ever had to stand in class for saying or doing something a teacher didn't agree with? Or stand out in a hall? Or write something a hundred times on a chalkboard? Get detention? Get grounded? It is ALL a form of humiliation - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't
At least his mom is making an effort! Too many parents today get a rough time for parenting their child because others don't agree with it, so instead of standing up doing what they think needs to be done, they let their kids do whatever and run wild. Well, I for one am tired of parents raising little hoodlums - so I say - GO ON GIRL!
Your wife makes you wear a sign that you are a lousy lover.
Your boss makes you wear a sign that you are a lazy worker.
The board of education makes you wear a sign you are a crappy teacher.
How many actors made straight A's in college or went to college?
How many times you read the super star athlete can't read or write, but did 10 years in the pros and have a $200,000 pension for life.
We have a society that makes the people you are educated do all of the work. The people who are talented make all of the money. The people who are born to rich parents laugh at us all.
Finally if this kid turns out to be the next "snoop dogg" I bet his mom would not care about his GPA or would anyone else.
he was three years behind in school on account of his own disregard for education.
this was to teach him what it's like to be on the street. she doesn't want that kind of life for her son because she loves him so much.
she wanted him to realize that education is important. and according to one of his teachers, it worked. his grades are improving.
even the kid *himself* realized that his mom was coming from a good place to teach him a lesson.
To the mom,
I hope you succeed. Your son is worth it.
Love, grandma