Involving parents in the education of our students is vital. We have all heard it, "Their parents don't care." How is that possible? We have all had the case of the parent who doesn't return our MT's calls and doesn't really seem to engage with class.
Samway and McKeon challenge the ideas that teachers have regarding parental involvement and offers real ideas about how to include those parents particularly dealing with a language barrier. "Much of the discussion so far assumes an acceptance of the status quo with regard to how parents are judged to be involved, and this reality has been challenged by some researchers and educators." In thinking about these words and the difficulty it is to raise children even English speaking ones, I can't imagine how difficult it must be to raise children in an ELL household and then to be judged by the student's teachers about how successful or not successful I am in supporting their education. By placing myself in the shoes of these parents, I feel there is little gained by judging parents of my students.
As a student teacher who works and cares for a family of three, I know first hand how easy it is to miss a conference. Recently, I missed my daughter's gifted IEP meeting because they only offer those during school hours. During school hours, I am at school. After a barrage of emails both ways, it was determined that they would hold the IEP without a parent and that I would get filled in afterwards. If I had been in the same position but unable to communicate what I wanted to be added and axed from this IEP, I would have been out of the process entirely.
This in mind, as a teacher, I'm going to have to be diligent in my efforts to communicate with my students' parents. There is no doubt that some parents do not have the time, availability, resources, and knowledge to advocate for their children. That's why we're here. I think opening up a line of communication is vital to create a healthy and happy school life for students.
Samway, Katherine Davies and Denise McKeon. Myths and Realities: Best Practices for English Language Learners. 2nd ed. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2007.
We are just finishing up To Kill a Mockingbird with the sophomores, and one of the great passages (quoted recently in Obama's farewell address) is when Atticus says, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." I was thinking about this today as I heard numerous stories of students blowing off school and getting involved in things they shouldn't be or their parents who have done the same. There's always so much more to the story than what we know, and I always wonder what brought people to that point. Maybe knowing would help me empathize. Maybe it would help me know how to help them. Whether I know the circumstances or not, I can treat people with compassion, avoid becoming judgmental and allowing that to affect my attitude and behavior, and do everything I can to help each student.
ReplyDeleteThe thing is, I *think* that I am pretty good at this, but then I catch myself slipping. Patterns of thinking and acting I'm not even aware of show up and surprise me. Suddenly I'm joining in the criticism or making uncharitable comments and jokes in poor taste without thinking how what I say may affect others or what it says about me. It's so important to constantly reflect on what we think, say, and do, both in our professional practice and in our private lives and avoid getting sucked into the negativity so we can best help our students and their families.