La Cueva To Cut Parenting Classes
Posted on: Wednesday, 22 February 2006, 12:00 CST
By AMY MILLER Journal Staff Writer
Parenting classes taught by an award-winning La Cueva High School teacher for 19 years will be cut next semester due to low enrollment and limited resources, Principal Jo Ann Coffee said.
It's just one example of the difficult choices educators must make in a time of tight budgets, increased emphasis on standardized testing and tougher graduation requirements, she said.
"I always think it's sad when you lose a program," Coffee said. "But you have to look at the big picture and provide what your students and community need."
Coffee said her students are taking more math and science courses. The state requires that students take three years of science, instead of two. And many students take additional science and math to improve their chances of getting into college.
About 25 students are taking La Cueva's first-year parenting class, and about 11 are in the second-year class. La Cueva's average class size is about 32 students, Coffee said.
Other area high schools also cut parenting programs recently, including Albuquerque High and West Mesa.
Alice Tennison, who started the parenting program at La Cueva, was named the nation's educator of the year in 1999 by Northern Life financial security company.
She said former students say the classes convinced them to become teachers. Her students prepare lessons for the school's free preschool and spend one afternoon a week at an elementary school.
She thinks the loss of parenting courses will have a longterm effect on communities and families.
"You can see it in child abuse cases," Tennison said. "Those people have no idea what the proper developmental level is for children."
Parent Tacy Van Cleave agrees. Her 4-year-old daughter is in La Cueva's preschool program, and she's considering starting a petition to save it.
"It's a real shame," she said. "The way La Cueva students react to kids is a lot better than your average teenager."
Source: Albuquerque Journal
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