Should Parents Go to School?
Tuesday November 18, 2008
Lisa Belkin, writer for the New York Times, recently discussed the role of parent involvement in schools and the obligation of schools to make parents feel welcome. In her article, "Should Parents Go to School," Belkin refers to the report of a study done on the views of parents toward their children's education. What the study found was that the majority of parents, across all socio-economic groups, believe it is important to be involved in their children's education. However, while three quarters of the parents of children attending high-performing schools felt the school encouraged parental involvement, less than half of the parents of low-performing schools felt that way. The marjority felt shut out and uninformed.
My son's elementary school is a high-performing school, but when my son attended that school, I can't say that I felt either informed or welcomed. Information was hard to come by, even when parents asked for it, and most of the time, to get it, we had to ask. Parents weren't allowed past the lobby, except during official school functions like Parents' Night or for class parties. We weren't even allowed to go to our children's rooms to pick them up after school, which made getting to know teachers difficult.
Another grade school, a low-performing one in another town, parents were encouraged to participate in school activities and were usually welcome inside, even during the school day. In fact, the school had programs specifically for the parents. I worked for the school for a couple years teaching English to parents who were not native English speakers. We met during the day in a classroom that had been set aside for parent programs. Parents came to school with their children; their children went to one classroom and they went to another one. Every attempt was made to keep these and other parents informed of school policies and activities as well as their child's progress. The principal of this school knew the importance of parental involvement and it was no surprise to me that the school won several national awards for its parent programs.
Do (or did) you feel welcomed by your child's school? Share your experiences.
My son's elementary school is a high-performing school, but when my son attended that school, I can't say that I felt either informed or welcomed. Information was hard to come by, even when parents asked for it, and most of the time, to get it, we had to ask. Parents weren't allowed past the lobby, except during official school functions like Parents' Night or for class parties. We weren't even allowed to go to our children's rooms to pick them up after school, which made getting to know teachers difficult.
Another grade school, a low-performing one in another town, parents were encouraged to participate in school activities and were usually welcome inside, even during the school day. In fact, the school had programs specifically for the parents. I worked for the school for a couple years teaching English to parents who were not native English speakers. We met during the day in a classroom that had been set aside for parent programs. Parents came to school with their children; their children went to one classroom and they went to another one. Every attempt was made to keep these and other parents informed of school policies and activities as well as their child's progress. The principal of this school knew the importance of parental involvement and it was no surprise to me that the school won several national awards for its parent programs.
Do (or did) you feel welcomed by your child's school? Share your experiences.
Comments
For K-3 at public school and 4-6 at a private school for the gifted, I felt welcome as a parent. I donated a lot of my time to the schools (over 50-150 hours a year), as did my wife. This year, at a 6-12 private school, I feel very little connection to the school. The parent association (which we are required to give $50 a year to) does nothing but plan parties. Attempts to assist at the school have been ignored or rebuffed. (I finally got to give a 15-minute presentation to the ecology club, and I may get a chance to teach one of the art teachers how to weave, but that’s about it.)
I’ve volunteered extensively in every school that my children (now aged 23 & 25) attended, trained to be a teacher and encouraged parents to volunteer in my classroom. The volunteer must NOT go into a classroom on the premise of spying or prying. A volunteer must go with the idea of assisting for the ultimate benefit of every child present at the school. Believe me, an experience teacher knows which is which!
I imagine that some schools shut out parents because they have had too many instances of spying or prying. It’s just not worth the effort. Having your child in a private school is a even more complicated situation. Parents are paying for the services or donating extensively and expect their child to be treated extra-special.
Just like anything in life: trust has to be valued, nurtured and respected. Teachers must trust their parents, parents must trust their child’s teachers.