In the complex discourse surrounding the American school system, almost everyone—from policy makers to the person on the street—carries a firm opinion on how to best nurture the next generation. It is, after all, a matter of existential importance: ensuring the safety and intellectual development of children during the most pivotal years of their lives. Yet, amid the constant noise of educational reform, few voices have resonated as sharply as that of Lisa Roberson. A retired educator, Roberson became the center of a national firestorm several years ago after penning an open letter to the Augusta Chronicle. Today, her words remain a focal point of a heated debate that refuses to cool: Who is truly responsible for the perceived “failure” of modern education—the teachers at the front of the room, or the parents at home?
A Pre-Pandemic Warning
It is vital to provide context to Roberson’s letter, which was originally published in 2017. Her critique predates the seismic shifts of the COVID-19 pandemic, an era that forced a radical, often divisive, reimagining of classroom dynamics. While the pandemic brought new stressors to the system, Roberson’s letter suggests that the structural integrity of the American classroom was under threat long before “Zoom school” became a household term.
For years, a growing sector of the public and political landscape has aimed its criticism at teachers, citing falling test scores and “failing” schools as evidence of professional negligence. Roberson, however, suggests the lens is focused on the wrong target.
“The Teachers are Not the Problem”
In her letter, which has since been shared tens of thousands of times across social media platforms, Roberson pulls no punches. She addresses a perceived disconnect between those who dictate educational policy and those who actually inhabit the classroom.
“As a retired teacher, I am sick of people who know nothing about public schools or have not been in a classroom recently deciding how to fix our education system,” Roberson’s letter began.
Her thesis is as simple as it is controversial: “The teachers are not the problem! Parents are the problem!”
Roberson argues that educators are increasingly expected to perform social and parental duties that fall outside their professional scope. She contends that many students arrive in the classroom lacking the basic foundations of manners, respect, and interpersonal social skills—fundamentals she believes must be established at home.
The Material Disconnect
One of the most striking observations in Roberson’s letter involves the economic and prioritizational paradox she witnessed during her tenure.
“The children come to school in shoes that cost more than the teacher’s entire outfit, but have no pencil or paper,” she wrote. “Who provides them? The teachers often provide them out of their own pockets.”
This specific grievance points to a larger issue of parental engagement and preparation. Roberson challenges the public to look past the school’s rating and instead examine the community’s involvement. She poses a series of pointed questions to the parents of struggling students:
Do you attend parent-teacher nights?
Do you communicate with educators regularly?
Are you ensuring your child is equipped with necessary supplies and completed homework?
Is your contact information up to date?
When “Failing Schools” are “Failing Parents”
Roberson’s argument culminates in a rejection of the “failing school” label. She suggests that the metrics used to judge institutions are often just reflections of parental abdication.
“When you look at these factors, you will see that it is not schools that are failing but the parents,” she asserted. “Teachers cannot do their jobs and the parents’ job. Until parents step up and do their job, nothing is going to get better!”
The letter has undoubtedly caused a stir, forcing a public conversation about the boundaries of a teacher’s responsibility. While some see her words as an unfair deflection of professional accountability, others view them as a long-overdue “truth bomb” from the front lines of a struggling system.
As the debate continues to rage online and in school board meetings across the country, Roberson’s 2017 missive remains a haunting reminder of the friction at the heart of the American dream: the shared—and often contested—responsibility of raising a child.
We want to hear from our readers: Does the weight of responsibility lie at the feet of the educator, or is it time for a national “step up” from parents? Join the conversation in the comments below.
