Parents

Busy Howard County parents will get the chance to learn how to make a healthy breakfast for children and adults. The Howard County Office of Children's Services is offering a nutrition workshop for parents on June 14 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Bain Center (5470 Ruth Keeton Way in Columbia). The interactive discussion, called "Start with Breakfast: Understanding Food Labels," will help parents understand why the first meal of the day is so important and how to read nutrition labels.

One of the great joys of my childhood was playing along the railroad tracks with my friends. We'd love to lay pennies on the tracks for the trains to smash, and nothing comes close to the thrill of all that rumbling power passing just feet away. Our parents did not approve of this activity, but they did teach us the simple rule of Stop, Look, and Listen. It is obvious from this article ("Girl's death ratchets up debate on rail safety," Jan. 10) that this rule was not followed and tragedy was the result.

I am so glad to see an educator address the most pressing problem in education, the parents ("The 'accountability' myth," March 26). I am a parent and grandparent who has done some substitute teaching and attained my teaching certificate. I have always believed that parents are the first teachers. If they encourage reading, word games and other educational venues early on, this provides the foundation for learning. And further, a parent wants their teachers to nuture the learning curiosity developed early.

I have lived off of Centennial Lane for over 20 years. I sent three children to Burleigh Manor Middle and onto Centennial High. We did not need a traffic light in front of the schools. Now tens of thousands of comuters will need to leave 10 minutes earlier for work because of this light. All this money spent in the worst economy in 80 years to satisfy yuppie parents who feel their offspring are too good to ride a school bus or walk two blocks. Dennis Smith Ellicott City

About a dozen parents attending a workshop Thursday to address bullying shared stories of the pain, frustration and hopelessness that harassment can cause children. They came together with teachers and other concerned residents at a Baltimore school for the first of six sessions to address the issue. Mental health professionals from the Mariposa Child Success Programs led the city school system's community workshop in the wake of reports last week of chronic bullying at Gilmor Elementary.

Regarding your article "City won't pay lead damages" (April 3), in my opinion judges grant large sums to plaintiffs in order to open up more lawsuits that benefit the attorneys representing clients who refuse to take responsibility for their own actions. It is the parents who are unwilling or unfit to properly care for their fetuses and children who are responsible for birth defects and health problems. I applaud the city for saying no. Maybe the city should sue the lawyers that represented those lead paint plaintiffs to recover the money it spent on defending itself from such claims.

After reading the somewhat lengthy article about test scores falling flat again ("Baltimore school test results flat for third year," July 23) and then considering all kinds of explanations including "turmoil in the system," or that a "plateau was expected," or that "harder things" are now required, or that "principal turnover can hurt student achievement" or - and here's my favorite - "we have tougher kids to teach," the final paragraph really says...

An elementary school has a new playground because of a parent who raised the money, helped design it and even stored the bricks to build it. A father mentors troubled middle school boys on everything from substance abuse to anger management. A mom lobbies county government to limit housing development that might lead to classroom overcrowding. The importance of parental participation in Maryland's public schools is critical, as anyone with children in them can attest, but too often overlooked and underappreciated.

Since March 18 was National Forgive Mom and Dad Day, I hope teens everywhere forgave their parents for being so protective. Parents do it because they love their children so much and could not bear it if they were to become statistics. Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens. I lead the Maryland Teen Safe Driving Coalition working to end this epidemic. I am grateful to The Allstate Foundation and the National Safety Council for establishing and managing this grassroots initiative that protects our novice teen drivers.

I wait in vain for someone - politicians, civic and religious leaders, newspaper editors or educators - to point out the role of parents in student achievement ("Absence of achievement," July 18). Citing parental responsibility appears to be the third rail in any discussion about falling test scores or absenteeism. Although educators have long accepted their role in loco parentis during the school day, they cannot and should not be held responsible for being parents 24/7. No one can deny that the breakdown of the family in modern society contributes negatively to student achievement.