Parental involvement is brought up again and again in school.
How can we do anything with a student when there is no partnership at home? What happens when parents don't care? Or seems like they don't care?
This isn't actually a fair assessment, because some parents still don't know that they can participate. I mean that some parents come from times and places where they were taught that they didn't have a say in establishments like educational systems. Some parents are working several jobs and have no time to check in on their kids when they get home at one AM.
I work at a school where this is a problem. Some parents don't or can't participate in the education of their kids.
This might be part of the reason that kids don't feel like school is important. Or they don't feel like there are any repercussions for their behavior.
On the other side of the spectrum are parents who participate too much.
I have a friend who works at another school where parents don't work or can take time out of any day to call in or come to school. Sure, he has a better classroom, but I am not sure if he has a better situation.
A student gets an A minus on a report card, and before the grades have even been printed on paper, he has a phone call and several emails. It is not that the parents are wondering why their kids earned an A minus, they're wondering why the teacher isn't giving their kid an A plus.
There is never a question in these parents' minds that the kid could actually be at fault. It has to be the teacher.
In this case, the parents don't respect the teacher enough to give him authority over their kid.
They also can't see that their kid could make a mistake. The kid, therefore, learns to not respect the system and thinks they can get away with anything.
I know, when I point out the two antitheses like this that the answer is somewhere in the middle. I don't think, however, that this is the point. The real point is that parents can do just as much damage by being over involved as they can be not involved.
You make a really good point about parental involvement in the lives of our students and you give two very different situations that make the point you are trying to make. The prefect situation would be parents that cared and participated, but I know that will not always be possible. You make a good point that damage can occur either way. As you say "the answer is somewhere in middle." Parent is important, but we (those who grew up as with a middle class back) that parents may not be able to be involved for very specific reason. I think that is a very important point I need to remember as person who comes from that type of background. I need to be more aware of how I am, but also who my students are.
ReplyDeleteHey, Leonard's double dipping into the old Phlog bowl this week!
ReplyDeleteI agree that an important determinant going into a child's attitude toward learning is their parents' attitude. I also think that the more parental involvement in their kid's school, the better. However, although I understand that some parents may be overbearing in regards to their child's grades, I know from talking to parents at my daughter's schools over the years (schools at which there have been very high parental participation), that this is the exception to the norm. Most parents want their kids to learn about personal responsiblity. Therefor, more parental guidence is suggested.
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ReplyDeleteI completely agree Leonard. I have friends who teach at different schools, one has lack of parent involvement and the other has over involved parents (why aren't you giving my child A+ on everything). We grab coffee once a month and it always floors me how parents can sabotage their children. I think that parents do not hold their children accountable for their actions and I do not think there is an accountablity on parents either.
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