It is my belief that our schools have always relied on certain fundamental qualities affecting its climate; 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…These fundamentally necessary, and most appreciative of factors support, working closely in conjunction with teachers…providing a climate where children can succeed…
The one most critical factor, I have found through the years would be Parents…Schools would not be able to be successful without the support and involvement of Parents…
I have learned that having parents involved in my classroom has been valued and deeply appreciated; though our communications and their support…and moreover, when the opportunity arose, appreciating 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 place welcoming 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 crucial 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 to assist if needed, we could rely on our school guidance counselor…However in the last fifteen to twenty years, the school counselor has been over loaded with extra demands, not enabling he or she counsel our children as much, therefore not enabling their assistance on these home visits…
If we were lucky, we, then could enlist, if an additional resource person was funded, a school social worker…Through the later years this resource person has been essential, yet not always available due budget cuts in education… Our school social worker was a bridge between home and school… a warm caring resource that helped our many parents in need..especially for those who lived in poverty…
Especially in today’s world…As a teacher working with diverse children who came from impoverished homes where so many of our parents were not able to be as involved because of their unsettling home situations…I was able to appreciate the benefits our social worker was able to accomplish providing resources from our community to many of our parents in need…
Through all these 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 these 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… …And they were welcome to come visit, or stop by to have lunch with their child… Just to let my parents know…Our classroom was a safe and loving place…where their child was going to be successful… “We were a team”…
For that I am eternally grateful to my parents for making the time…❤
