Every parent has the right to judge or ask questions in case they are concerned that their children might not perform well in their exams. However, they do not have to dictate the way we teach as we are the ones who have the skills and know what is best for the students to learn. However, we still have to make then understand this in the best way possible without sounding arrogant or rude. (Baron, 2000) Therefore, in such a situation I would first try to convince Mrs. Karmzynsky that what she sees her child do is what is in the syllabus and what is recommended for him.
I would convince her that the main aim of having the students in school is to make them understand or rather gain knowledge and therefore become important people in life. I would therefore try to explain to her that in the process of gathering of gaining knowledge, the students are expected to engage in both theoretical and practical aspect of the syllabus. They have already done the theory and this is the practical part of the subject. Even if they seem to be concentrating much on the research, they cannot be able to do it without first reading the content in the textbooks.I would also explain to her that one of the best methods of learning for students is to encouraging them to participate in discussion groups. This way, they are able to ask each other questions and in the process learn even better than the way they would have learned if they were individually reading the textbooks.
I would also explain to her that in as much as these students may be spending a lot of time in groups, they are fully aware that they will be tested from their textbooks.They are therefore utilizing some of their time in the group discussing some of the concepts that they did not understand in their textbook. I would also explain to her that for them to properly research and present the information that they have already presented, they need to understand the concept and this can only be done through reading the textbook. And because they are proving to do very well in their research topic, it is a clear indication that they are actually reading the textbook as a guide to their research topic.
(Baron, 2000)I would conclude by telling Mrs. Karmzynsky that in as much as it might look like the students are spending a lot of time on research groups instead of reading their textbook content, the research only puts into practice what the students has already read. Therefore, if they have not read the content of the textbook, they are not likely to perform the research well. I would then thank her for her concern and hope that I have answered her question satisfactorily.
I would encourage her to consult me in case she has another issue as we too stand to be corrected in our decisions.
