The dismal PISA results in Catalonia have not surprised an important part of the educational community: families. Mothers and fathers assure that the setback was announced before the pandemic and believe that part of the responsibility for this situation lies in the low investment about which they have been complaining for a long time. But they also see a lack of motivation, both from teachers and students or the families themselves.
“The figures are alarming and worrying because these boys and girls are the future,” explains Mònica Sanchis, mother of Mireia, who this year has started her first year of ESO at an institute in Salt (Girona). She explains that her daughter is smart, but that she “lacks much desire… she is not motivated to do her homework.” And motivation is precisely one of the aspects that most distresses this 47-year-old woman who works as a bus driver. She must improve that of students, families and teachers, she says.
Mònica lives in Salt, a town with a high percentage of immigration, and demands more resources, although she assures that a “very brutal” job has been done in favor of integration. But she sees the teachers as “overwhelmed” and she believes that they do not have enough tools. She is dyslexic and believes that school is not prepared for “divergent minds.” She also assumes that families must self-criticize the situation. “Every time we work harder to make ends meet and the children are educating themselves… and we are putting a lot of pressure on the school.”
He is optimistic that the situation will be reversed, but warns that it will not be achieved without “cohesion” and if not “we will all go together.”
“The PISA results are the expression of things that families have been denouncing for years.” This is how forceful Tiago Ferreira is, a 41-year-old editorial technician who lives in Terrassa (Barcelona) and is the father of Clara, who is in fifth grade. The letter that the counselor sent to families a few days ago has not sat well with many of them. “The pineapple is here in front of you,” claims Ferreira, who is very involved in the student family associations (AFA) and is part of La Pepeta, the AFA platform of the Terrassa public school.
For this father, the poor results cannot be attributed to the pandemic because the report evaluates skills accumulated from ten years ago and the only thing that is confirmed is the “ten years of underfinancing of public education” with “growing inequalities.” And for this parent, the underlying problem lies here, because there are many more differences between students based on socioeconomic background. He believes that there is a lack of “better policies” and putting public education at the center. He also believes that we must invest in professionals and, at the same time, listen to them more. He assures that they have been demanding resources for some time to deal with mental health or to care for special needs.
And he wonders what sense it makes in the context of inequality to reduce the primary one hour. For Ferreira, one of the reasons for the better score in the concerted one is that they have the sixth hour, which in the public one was eliminated 12 years ago. He considers that demotivation is the consequence of all these structural problems. And he believes that if a teacher has a “crowded” class with 30% special educational needs (SEN) and does not receive resources, it is very easy to become demotivated. And it's a domino effect that demotivates everyone.
He is not too optimistic that the situation will improve because the changes proposed “are not too concrete.” And although she recognizes with regard to families that everyone at home should be self-critical about what they are doing, “the counselor should make few reproaches.”
Sonsoles is a mother of three boys. Two (16 years old) are in high school, and the third, who has Down syndrome, is in 3rd year of ESO. For this mother who lives in Sant Cugat and who takes her children to a subsidized center, there is a lack of culture of effort: “There is more to read, write and think,” something that the children assure that they no longer do. She is very critical of what is done today, she believes that half of the content is given “so that there is no school failure” and that the books are increasingly finite.
She is also very critical of the role of families: “We have stopped playing parents and ask that the school assume it.” And she points out that “teachers must teach and parents must educate,” because furthermore, if this is not done, the school sacrifices teaching moments to educate. In this importance of reading, writing and thinking, Sonsoles believes that screens are creating “more dispersed” children and that cell phones have “killed” reading and that is why at home they do not have a cell phone until they are 16. Her personal situation mother also motivates her to demand better attention to disabilities. She considers that there is a lack of many resources in favor of inclusion and also “will.” Sonsoles' children go to a subsidized center basically for one reason: he wanted it to be an institute school because changing schools in the 6th grade "is too early" and many students are still "immature", and the change does not suit them good.
For this mother, the situation has a solution, but with “consensus.” And she concludes “teachers should have the leading voice and parents should support what they say and educate.”
Marta works in the field of non-formal education and has a son who started high school in Salt this year. She recognizes that she does not believe in the current educational system and believes that institute schools should be promoted at least until 2nd year of ESO. She believes that at 12 years old, children face a series of changes, and that in high school teachers do not always accompany them: “They make them independent when they are still children and they lose their way.” She also claims that the profile of social educator should exist within schools.
For Marta, one of the problems is the lack of attention she attributes to new technologies. And she asks that parents be more involved with their children and consciously: “Sometimes 15 minutes are worth more than two hours.” This mother is an advocate of working well on emotional education because “if she is not covered, this affects her academics.” And she emphasizes that it is in secondary school where more emotional support is needed. She also points to self-criticism as a family: “You should look at your son, see what emotional moment he is in and worry about what he does at school.”
