Our reading for the week ends Chapter 2 with these words: “But conversation about the purposes and character of schooling is not - and should not be – a matter for experts or visible leaders only. It is an essential way for citizens to exercise their trusteeship in preserving what is valuable in a common institution and correcting what is not”.
I am a strong proponent of a parent being an educational advocate for their own children. As a parent we know our children far better than any teacher who only sees the child a few hours a week possibly could. As an active parent in the Fort Mill Schools my children attend, I can say that individuals have to be determined and persistent to have any influence in determining what is valuable within a school. Here are two examples from my personal experience:
Prior to the 1999-2000 school year, block scheduling was not practiced in Fort Mill Schools, and the school year ended in early June. During those years before block scheduling, Memorial Day was a scheduled school day. Memorial Day is a federal holiday that recognizes U.S. men and women who have died in military service to our country. Parents who did not agree to dishonor the memory of those who have fought and died for the freedoms we now enjoy, kept their children home from school that day. Schools felt the impact of this in a reduction students attending school that day. When I kept my child home from school that day, I let the school teacher and administration know my reasoning. Block scheduling changed our school calendar to end school before the holiday, and made this a non-issue, until local schools were forced to change the calendar start date. This moved the school end date into June. It was sad to see that draft schedules for the current school year were issued with the federal holiday as a school day. However feedback for the calendar resulted in a final version of the school calendar that has this day as a holiday from school. This was a success for patriotic parents.
Before physical education (PE) was required as often as it currently is, elementary students were on a 6 day rotation for PE due to the number of students in each grade level. This means that every 6th school day, children would have PE class for one 50 minute block of time. In addition to this, classes were normally scheduled for a daily recess on the playground for 20-30 minutes. Until recently, it was common practice for students that misbehaved in class or did not complete homework assignments to be punished by having 5 minute increments of time taken away from their recess play. This punishment time was to be spent sitting against the school wall watching the rest of the class at play. Having volunteered with children for several years, and tired of seeing so many sitting against the wall when I was at school, I wanted to suggest a change. I wanted to suggest that instead of sitting, the children should be required to walk or run laps, the number determined by the teacher, around the playground before having any play time. This would allow the students to expel some energy and be physical so they could be set up for success in returning to the class room where they would be expected to sit still and focus on work again. I went to the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) meeting and got support from that group to present the idea to the principal, the person who could make this change in the school. Although the principal was very polite, she explained the reasons why that could not work at our school and thanked me for sharing my concerns. While this could have been the end of the story, it was not, because PTA meeting notes are shared with all the teachers at the school. The teachers saw the discussion of this idea and as individuals adopted this type of policy for their classes. Now I am happy to report that it is common practice at our elementary school.
While these are only small steps, I submit that they are the only kind that parents are permitted to make within our school system. I encourage each of us to be remain mindful of changes we could suggest while continuing to support our local schools.
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5 comments:
I agree wholeheartedly with your position that active parent involvement is a necessity in our student's school lives. While there are an exceptional few that can flourish independant of parental involvement and other outside motivators, in my opinion the majority of students need as much support as possible to succeed in both school and life. As you have demonstrated - and as I have seen in the actions of my mother as I was growing up - it is not impossible to be a busy, working parent and still place your children's school life as a priority. They may not appreciate it now, but the support you provide your children during these early years will always come back to them when they most need it.
Also, I have seen students walking/jogging around the playground during some of my substitute positions. I congratulate you on working persistantly to bring about a positive change in our schools!
Two points:
1. One of the texts key points is that schools are a "common institution" that all citizens have responsibility for, not just parents whose children are in schools. How does that mesh with your experience? How would you take that point?
2. At the end of chapter 2, T&C begin to talk about how policy talk gets translated into institutional change. It seems both changes you describe fit some of those criteria. You could relate your experience to the text further by incorporating those.
Good post, Diane.
From page 10. "But teachers cannot do the job alone. They need resources of time and money, practical designs for change, and collegial support. And they can succeed best if they do their work in partnership with parents." I am a firm believer that education should not just take place in the class room. Parent involvement is so important in motivating students to get an education. I'm pretty sure T & C mentioned a survey in which teachers ranked parent support as one or two in their needs for success, however I can't seem to find it now. However, I think it my be interesting to hear if anyone has experienced a situation where a parent became too involved and tried to implement a personal agenda in the school/classroom.
Upon reading your blog, I greatly appreciate the point you are trying to get across, but there is one statement I am intrigued by, "As a parent we know our children far better than any teacher who only sees the child a few hours a week possibly could." I would like to think that as teachers, we see our students for more than just a few hours a week, and besides students we also know them as people. In an ideal society, it would be optimum to have one parent per household at home or volunteering in the schools, but the fact of the matter is, most parents today, and the parents of the children we will teach, are not as active in their children's lives as you are/were or other classmates parents were. As well as, there are many things children hide from their parents, and the fact of the matter is, many children do turn to other adults, such as their teachers or counselors to confide in.
I applaud the fact that you were around for your children and to aid them in their schooling, but the reality is that many parents are not . I think T&C great supporters of your thoughts as well with their survey on parental support.
I feel that people are quick to say that some parents do not spend as much time with their kids as their teacher does. In some cases, this may be true, but in most it is false. Parents have years to bond with their children while teachers only have a school year with several other kids in the class. I think it would be far to say that teachers do not know children better than their parents, but rather have a different understanding due to the atmosphere of school. I think there is a much needed respect between teachers and parents. Both groups seem to devalue the others perspective.
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