From the Fort-Worth Star-Telegram, Tuesday, May 20, 2008:

FOCUS ON ... The parents’ role in education

The Wednesday editorial “Watch the work” outlined the expectations that your Editorial Board has for the Fort Worth school district and its individual schools regarding student achievement.
If these expectations are not met, the editorial suggested, “parents need to be at school asking why not.”
A more appropriate action would be for those parents to look into a mirror and ask:
— Did I read to my child from the day he or she was born?
— Did I teach my child the ABCs?
— Did I turn off the TV occasionally and play with my child?
— Did I teach my child to value education?
— Did I teach my child to say “please,” “thank you” and “no, thank you”?
— Did I teach my child to respect his or her elders and play nicely with his or her peers?
If the answer to these questions is “no,” the most dedicated, well-trained teacher in the world will have difficulty getting that student to achieve at a high level.
It’s time for parents to realize that they are their children’s first teachers and to take that responsibility seriously, instead of blaming well-intentioned teachers who have committed their lives to improving the lot of the kids they serve every day.
— William W. Thorburn, Benbrook

Couldn't have said it better myself. And if it's the same William Thorburn I graduated high school with, that would explain why it's so well-said.