Dear Parents

Written by Gabbie Stroud, author of the national bestseller Teacher, Dear Parents is a passionate call to arms for all parents to understand their role as their children's lifelong teachers, showing how they can help their kids' educators and schools achieve the best outcomes for the next generation. So many Australian parents are buying the government line about standardised testing of students through programs like NAPLAN and My School, which make them think they are getting results because of rankings and comparisons. But they don't seem to realise that these new forms of assessment are actually negatively affecting our kids' ability to gain the crucial life skills and appreciation for learning that have been, and should be, the main aim of teaching. In Dear Parents, a funny, heartfelt and impassioned series of letters to the mothers, fathers and caregivers of Australia, Gabbie Stroud makes a plea to all parents to understand the fundamental changes to the way their children are being taught, and the results of this process on the development of future generations. She wants parents to recognise their responsibility as their children's primary educators and to appreciate the lifelong benefits that committed and dedicated school teachers can bring to their kids. “Caused tears of nostalgia and rage to soak my pillow.” HELEN GARNER on Teacher