In the video we watched for class, the workshop leader said that never once in her children’s education did their teachers ask her about her children. I think parents and teachers are very similar. Neither one likes for an outsider to tell them how to raise or teach their children. A parent would probably be offended if their kid’s teacher told them they should probably read *this* kind of book to their kid and maybe give them carrot sticks instead of jelly beans for snack time. Likewise, a teacher might be offended it a parent said, “Look, I don’t think you’re teaching my child the right way. They learn better this way…” But I think it’s very important for parents and teachers to communicate. Parents know their children in the home setting: how they interact with family members, pets, and friend, how they deal with emotions, and what they learn. Teachers know their students in the school setting: how they interact with teachers, students, and other authority figures, how they deal with emotions, and what they learn in school. By combining this dual-knowledge, I think teachers and parents can take a more powerful and effective role in their children’s/students’ education, both at home and in school.
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April 16th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
I agree that parents and teachers need to have communcation that is two-way. I think that teachers often forget that parents have a lot of knowledge about the interests and capabilities of their children that would be extremely helpful in the classroom.
One of the classes that the people in the MEDX program are required to take is Families and Teams. I learned a lot about viewing families as team members rather than as bystanders who have no stake in the classroom. I have found that when I ask families what their hopes and goals for their own children are, they begin to trust me, to be more relaxed with me, and to give me support in what I am trying to do in the classroom.
In my own experience, I have found it easier on me when I acknowledge and respect the knowlegde that families have about their children – they are the experts.
When my own children were small, my favorite pediatrician always asked for my opinion on what was going on with my children. He saw me as an expert on my children – who I spent much more time with than he did! While he was still the expert on medical matters, he always genuinely took into account what I had to say and recognized my preferences when there was a choice about procedues,etc. This doctor made me feel respected. That is what I want to do for families.
April 17th, 2009 at 11:14 am
I agree that communication is very important when it comes to education. We as educators have lots of valuable information and opinions, but it also important to remember that parents do also. I think it is important that we communicate with parents, but that we also remember that they are the parent and respect their opinions about what is best for their child. Yes, we spend alot of time with our students, but 6 1/2 hours a day for 180 days in not much time at all when we look at the time the parent has spent with them since the second they were boring. I think the key is to remember to think before speaking and think about how it would make you feel if the parent said the same comment to you about teaching.
April 19th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
I agree that parents and teachers need to form partnerships to best meet the needs of children. We can both learn from the other. Parents have the experience of living with a child and understanding their individual interests, temperment, personality, etc. Teachers could benefit from learning from parents how best to interact with their child. And teachers have an understanding of subject matter and general child development concepts, particularly for the age group they have the most experience with. Parents would benefit from the teacher’s perspective on appropriate expectations for a particular age group, as well as school expectations.
Unfortunately I don’t think we take advantage of each other’s knowledge and expertise very often. From a school perspective, I hear so many teachers and administrators talk with pride about their parent involvement efforts, and then describe the strategies they use to “get families into the school” (”feed them”). I also hear of parent workshops and how parents “just don’t know” how to …. (fill in the blank with whatever you want). I seldom hear about schools seeking out information from families about home routines, in spite of the fact that this type of information could be used to anchor learning experiences. We have much to do in this area!