The heart of her argument is a bold reversal of the typical narrative that places the burden of student success solely on the shoulders of the teacher. “The teachers are not the problem! Parents are the problem!” she wrote, punctuating her point with an exclamation that echoed across social media. According to Roberson, the fundamental building blocks of a successful education—manners, respect, and the basic social grace required to function in a group setting—are no longer being installed at home. She describes a classroom environment where teachers are forced to spend more time on basic behavioral management than on actual instruction, effectively trying to build a structure on a foundation that hasn’t been poured.
One of the most striking observations in her letter addresses the skewed priorities of the modern consumerist household. Roberson pointed out a jarring irony often seen in struggling school districts: children arriving in the morning wearing sneakers that cost more than the teacher’s entire outfit, yet lacking the most basic tools for learning. “They have no pencil or paper,” she noted. “Who provides them? The teachers often provide them out of their own pockets.” This image serves as a powerful metaphor for her larger point—that some parents are willing to invest in the appearance of success and status but are neglecting the functional requirements of intellectual growth.
