Of the six types of parental involvement targeted by Eipstein, I will focus on Learning at Home and Communicating. While all "slices" are critical I believe these to be the most important to student success. In order for a student to be successful they need sources of support both academically and mentally. Parents can assist with both. In fact, they can often make the most difference for a student in determining what their future will look like. Parents for example who had negative experiences in school themselves are likely to pass on their negative attitudes to their child and are therefore less likely to want to engage with the school. In the same way, parents who are unable to assist with homework or extracurriculars, for a variety of reasons, may find that their student has a more difficult time than other students with more active parents. It only makes sense that if parents can go over the
materials at home that had been covered in class that the material would be retained better by these students. This would translate into testing as well. Likewise, communication between parents and teachers is crucial to make sure students are accountable for completing work on time and to check in with a student's well-being in all aspects of life. If a child is struggling at home then it is important for parents to let their teacher know and vice versa. Having better communication and supplemental learning at home can better a student's chances of success in school.
I could not agree more in terms of parental involvement! The environment that you're raised in largely contributes to the outcome of your life. However, your environment is not a "life sentence" so to speak. It is possibly to change the outcome - even if your immediate family feels negatively toward schooling, you still have the ability to succeed! I hope that, as future educators, we are able to show our students that anything is possible if they set a goal and work to achieve it.
ReplyDeleteMegan, I absolutely agree. Students have incredible potential to overcome enormous barriers. This comic is an exaggerated way to illustrate how all students are presented with challenges and need to be supported in different ways. If given a little help with scaffolding and a good support network students can achieve incredible goals!
DeleteAbigail, I fully agree that these scenarios you describe can be difficult, yet essential, to overcome if students are to find success in school. However, I think we should be careful not to put all of the onus on families to conduct this communication. As good educators, we need to be the instrument of change and provide the (wide, very obvious and welcoming) open door for parents to have any sense of optimism that their children might be lucky enough to have an experience that is different from their own. It is time consuming and tedious, but in the end, it is worth it. The other thing to acknowledge is that not all parents are going to be open to this communication. I would estimate there are about 10% of parents who give a honest look at my communications and do something with it...but in my head, 10% is better than zero percent!
ReplyDeleteJessica, you have hit the nail on the head so to speak. Educators and parents need to have good communication so that the student can succeed. This is, of course, a two-way street and a balance of involvement. Some parents have more time to be involved than others. Also, some parents, as we have mentioned in class, may not have had a positive experience in their own education and may feel uncomfortable in this communication. I believe that a good educator has the potential to mend these broken relationships and be the bridge between the school and parents.
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