It is my belief that our schools have always relied on certain fundamental qualities affecting its climate; the children, the teachers, the staff…and the parents…
Thus affecting the outcome of our children’s ability to learn and become successful…
And now, more that ever…in these most difficult of times, even when our government is trying to dismantle this sacred of institutions…our public schools….These fundamentally necessary, must be supportive, working closely in conjunction with the teachers…providing a climate where children can succeed…
The one most critical factor… The support and involvement of Parents...
I have learned that having parents involved in my classroom has been valued deeply; though our communications and their support…Moreover, when an opportunity arose, having that extra pair of hands, in a variety of classroom activities such as: field trips,class parties, and special programs… My classroom had always been a welcoming place to my parents; inviting them to just come in and observe…
Back in the Seventies when I began … Parent involvement focused on specific parenting workshops designed to encourage parent participation…Parents who needed extra support learned to make and take materials to use at home with their child…These workshops really got many parents involved..At this time, we were so fortunate to receive appropriations from government to fund these programs…
During these later years, I have found it somewhat of a challenge to have parent involvement… with a population of our parents… Our school has had to become more creative in coming up with a variety of ways to maintain a strong parent involvement… that would include: dinners, fairs, special programs, and performances …successfully bringing many parents in; allowing us to provide essential communications, free books and learning materials for our parents to take home…Hopefully encouraging them to use these books and materials at home with their child…
Another critical component to our parental involvement that has been successful, was making visits to the home, especially for those parents not able to come into school…These home visits would give me a better understanding of the home life of my children….In addition, if needed, we could rely on our school guidance counselor for assistance…However in the last fifteen to twenty years, the school counselor has been over loaded with extra demands, not enabling he or she time for counseling our children as much, and no time to assist on our home visits…
In the later years we had the opportunity to utilize an additional resource person, a school social worker to help with parent involvement.. Our school social worker was a bridge between home and school… a warm caring resource that helped our many parents in need..especially those who lived in poverty…
…As a teacher working with diverse children who come from impoverished homes; where so many of our parents were not able to be as involved in part do to their unsettling circumstance…I was then able to appreciate the benefits that our social worker was able to accomplish, providing the necessary resources from our community to many of our parents in need..
However due to cuts in funding, we no longer have this wonderful resource available…
Through all the many years…my school, along with the many other schools; because of their love and concerns for children have done all they could to find a way to get parents involved…
And moreover, in the later years…Personally, spending much of my time communicating with my parents through daily communication in their child’s daily planner, making necessary phone calls, sending emails, and making home visits…My door was always open, welcoming them to come visit, or stop by to just have lunch with their child…Our classroom was a safe and loving place…where their child was going to be successful… “We were a team”…
I am eternally grateful to my parents for making the time♥️
Janis Sexton...Teacher...Advocate 