Kerre Woodham hits out at parents who don't prepare their children for school

School principals say they’re grappling with growing numbers of new entrants with behaviour and oral communication issues - and believe the Covid-19 pandemic is to blame.

They’re calling for more investment in learning support to help address the problem.

Kerre Woodham believes the problem lies not with the education system, but rather with parents who fail to prepare their kids to enter it.

"How about principals, instead of moaning and grumbling and demanding more of the taxpayers' money to shore up the gaps and poor parenting, actually call the bloody parents to account."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the carry Wood and Morning's podcast from
News Talks.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
He'd be in a minute. We're just going to have
a look at policies that are working in policies that
are failing, and I will gladly do that. But we're
just going to go back in time a little bit
because the comments from the Principals Federation President Leanne Outene
absolutely incensed me this morning. I don't know if you

(00:31):
heard them on the news. If you didn't, here's what
she said.

Speaker 3 (00:34):
These five year olds are swamping classrooms and they are
overwhelming teachers. So quite frankly, are already burdened with a
great deal of change by this current government.

Speaker 2 (00:46):
Right she's talking about primary school children who didn't attend
early childhood services because of lockdowns, and the disregulated behavior
as they arrive at school is swamping the teachers who
are already overwhelmed by the changes from this government. Well,
yes they are because shock me, but the Education Minister

(01:09):
wants to improve the stats around our failing kids. The
Education Minister and the government want to improve outcomes for
children to give them a better chance in life. They
want them to be able to read and write and
do maths, So shoot them. If they're bringing in changes,
this current government is bringing in changes. Yes they are,

(01:32):
because they're sick and tired of five year olds progressing
through primary school and coming out and going to intermediate
school unable to read and to write and to do
basic maths. That's what they're asking for. And if they're
with these dysregulated children, how about instead of a headline
saying Principles urge more support for students with post COVID challenges,

(01:55):
how about a headline that says, Principles urge parents to
do their job. Principles urge parents to make children more
ready for school, to better prepare them for school, like, oh,
I don't know, toilet training them? How about that? How

(02:15):
about and five years from now, schools don't have to
put on the admission form is your child toilet trained?
They're five years old, they should be. They should be
toilet trained by kindergarten. How about if children can't speak,
are unable to communicate, you look at the parents and say,

(02:40):
how about you do a better job of parenting before
your kid comes to school. How about principles urge families
to do more to look after their children instead of
bitching and moaning about the government demanding better support for

(03:03):
kids who are not toilet trained at far. It is
not the teacher's job. I couldn't agree more. It absolutely
is not the teacher's job. But nor is it the
taxpayer's job to fund teacher aides to toilet your kid.
That is not what we're here for. That's not what
I want the two billion dollars owed by those defaulting
student loan thieves to go on. It just and senses me.

(03:30):
We were warned and warned and warned about the psychological
distress and the long lasting impact that lockdowns would have
on children, and it might have been a necessary weighing
up of two evils, you know, we limit the spread
of COVID by locking down society and shutting schools. But
on and on it went, and principles warned what would happen?

(03:53):
And ECE teachers warned what would happen? We all knew
it was going to happen because not everybody in lockdown
had a backyard to play in, and educated parents who
were doing their best to educate the children and shore
up any gaps by the zoom classrooms and all of

(04:14):
that sort of carry on huge numbers of children did not,
So why did another headline? Perhaps Principles call for labor
to explain why extended lockdowns were mandated and why more
effort was it made to get children into ECE and

(04:35):
schools to prevent long lasting societal damage. How about that? Ah,
sorry must have been my poor Iram and deep sleep record.
It's it just in senses me. When I heard that
woman this morning, I just about lost missionizzles. And then
I saw the headline, Principles urge more support for students

(04:58):
with post COVID. Principles urge parents to do the right thing.
You don't need a degree to toilet train your trial.
You need patience, you need time, You need care, you
need compassion. You don't need a lot of money to
teach your child to talk or to read. If you

(05:19):
can't read, it makes it that much tougher. I totally
get that, But don't you want more for your children?
There are a thousand ways you can learn to read
along with your child. If you don't want the shame
of that, then send your child along to the early
childhood centers. They'll teach them to read. How about principles

(05:42):
instead of moaning and grumbling and demanding more of the
taxpayers money to shore up the gaps, and poor parenting
actually call the bloody parents to account.

Speaker 1 (05:53):
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