In my new book Not All Teachers Are Parents, But All Parents Are Teachers, my focus in chapter one is specifically: The Case For Parenting Classes. All children are the result of a union between male and female, and as statistics prove, most problems are made worse when children come to school with an objective to vent their frustrations on unsuspecting school personnel. In my after school mentoring program "From Boys to Men Network," we teach students the art of "discipline," or put another way, we help them to identify with the "Golden Rule" (Do unto others as you would have them do unto you).

This is a concept that all parents must accept and practice. It must be taught at an early age and reinforced in the school, church, community, and home environments. If parents have not learned to be good parents early on, they will become less inclined to get it right as they become "repeating parents"; this is especially true of parents that obtain the title of parent too soon—commonly unwed and unequipped to deal with the complexities of life and its consequences.

These facts are played out on a daily basis in the inner cities of Urban Centers in America, with little or no attention to identifying the problem before children of underprivileged children become parents themselves. Parenting classes in some progressive churches, for example, is mandatory for all members that express an interest in marriage.

Likewise, parenting classes are available, as well as family counseling, to all parents to be--married or not. There should be no stigma attached to those who ask for it. If parents have not learned to be good parents before their child is born, they are not likely to fulfill their responsibilities when their children reach school age. For most of them, getting their children ready for school will amount to little more than getting them dressed and on their way.

The reason many pastors and community leaders don’t recommend or support "parenting classes" in my view, is that they know it will create another level of paperwork, and for many, it becomes another drain on their already-stressed financial resources. I say this from the perspective of an active parent, teacher, mentor, and former youth pastor.

Parenting is probably the most time-consuming responsibility we will address in our lifetime. We must never pass it off lightly to the school systems for six hours a day. The school’s job is to work in partnership with parents not "in place" of them. Preparing a child to learn is as important as providing them with food, clothing, and shelter. The good news here is that most parents want the best for their children and see to it that their needs are met. Responsible, loving, mature parents teach their children the basic fundamentals of hygiene, proper nutrition, moral values, and the importance of a good spiritual foundation. Our mission then as parent advocates, by way of a strong church and community base, is to ensure that this process is made clear to all that knock, seek, and ask with no qualifications placed upon those in need for at least attempting to do the right thing.

The school systems in Urban Centers across the nation should not bear the responsibility of "raising" children; that is the parents mandated duty. Educators must, however, become knowledgeable of the human capital available within these communities by being responsive to and aware of its culture, creativity, potential and contributions to society as a whole.

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