Feb
22
This week I attended a SBIC meeting at school (our site-based decision making committee) where we sat in on various VAT (Vertical Alignment Team) groups. Several parents and community members are members of the SBIC and afterward had several comments regarding the process. One parent in particular made a comment that really stuck with me and generated an idea I’d like to share with you this week. She expressed to our group how impressed she was with the effort and professionalism of the teachers during the VAT meetings. It seemed that she was not really aware of how much thought and effort goes into planning and implementing the curriculum taught to our students.
She also made a comment that went something like this, “I learned more about what my child is learning and doing in class tonight than I have all year long. We’ve been trying to help our child with her math division homework and I keep using the terms “borrow” and “carry.” I wondered why my daughter kept looking at me weird. Tonight I learned that she is taught to use the terms “group” and “regroup.” I never knew this. I, as a parent, want to support and enhance what is being taught in school when my daughter is home, but I don’t know what to do. I don’t have a background in education and half the time I don’t understand what the teachers are talking about. I know that other parents would also like to know this information so they are able to help you (the teachers) and their children.”
This comment really struck me because I realized how much I take for granted my knowledge base. As a parent who is also a teacher, I completely understand what my son’s teachers are telling me. I know the jargon and I know the strategies. If I am faced with an unfamiliar strategy, I am still able to connect it to educational research to understand how it works and helps my child learn. I also know where to go to read up on new strategies introduced so that I am more familiar with the concepts being used. However, most parents do not have this same level of knowledge.
I am reminded of the parent meeting held at my son’s school in August. The purpose was to inform parents on what to expect in 4th grade. The teachers talked about the schedule which included time for Math, ELA, Specials, and IC. They also discussed various concepts and overarching themes and goals to be taught during the school year. We were told both the behavior and academic expectations for our children as well as the procedures followed in the classroom. Most of the parents nodded their heads, kept good eye contact with the teachers and seemed to be listening. When the meeting ended, my husband turned to me and asked, “Did you get all that?” I nodded and explained that I was very pleased with how the grade level was prepared and keeping parents informed. He shrugged his shoulders and said, “Well, as long as you understood it and are happy, then I guess we’re good.” I just laughed and patted him on the shoulder, shrugging off his comment.
However, after hearing the comment made by this parent at the SBIC meeting, it made me wonder – how many of the parents actually understood what was explained in the meeting? How many keep quiet because they don’t want to seem unintelligent – even the highly intelligent ones? It also spurred me to wonder how often we break down information to a basic level when communicating with parents. If you are like me, you probably try to give information as quickly as possible so as not to waste your and the parent’s time. Is this really helping the parents or our students? We are always stressing the importance of encouraging parents to be partners in their child’s education, yet we do not give them the tools to do so. We also tend not to expect too much from parents. Yet, there are those out there who truly want to do more for their children and play a more active role in their child’s education, as evidenced by the parent at our meeting.
Still, how can we accomplish the goal of providing parents with the tools they need to understand and encourage learning at home that enhances what is done in school? There are only so many hours to the day and we are already stretched to the limit with curriculum and standardized testing demands. In the past I have put a small paragraph of information in my monthly newsletter as a way of keeping parents informed. I must admit that most of these did not provide practical or really useful information for the parents, but instead defended a particular teaching strategy or curriculum concept being taught.
After reflecting and brainstorming about this issue, I thought of the new Web 2.0 that is such an up-and-coming part of our lives. What about blogging as a way to help keep parents informed? Unlike a newsletter, a blog is very informal and can easily be done at home without the precious use of the copier (taking up needed copier credits for class assignments). I can give my students and parents the blog address and encourage them to read it. While not every family will use this resource, it will continue to be there. The other wonderful thing about blogs is that they are archived and topics can be categorized. You can also provide links to other resources including district curriculum information, state information, etc. Once a topic was addressed I would not have to continually readdress the issue every year. Parents could be pointed to relevant archived blog entries as concerns or questions arise. Additionally, parents could post comments and questions allowing for two-way communication.
So, then, how might I use a blog to help inform parents and provide them with the tools they need in order to enrich their child’s learning process at home? I have brainstormed and envision the following:
- Blog entries that address specific questions from parents (not about students). I would post both the question and my answer.
- Having a blog category of terms commonly used. These would include educational abbreviations frequently used in my district and school. Currently we use ELA to say “English and Language Arts” which means writing and reading. IC stands for Integrated Curriculum which is a two hour period during the day where students utilize writing, reading, math, art, music, and movement to study a science or social studies topic. Most parents have no idea what ARD, IEP, ELL, or many of the other commonly used abbreviations stand for. Additionally, many districts have their own verbiage to describe different types of learners and learning situations. For example, in my district PACE refers to the Gifted/Talented program.
- Blog entries that explain the vocabulary used during specific content units for language arts, math, science, social studies, art, music, etc. (ie – “grouping” and “regrouping” as opposed to “borrow” and “carry”) These are especially helpful for parents to use the same terms at home when helping their child with homework or study for a test.
- Blog entries offering basic practical ideas parents can use at home to reinforce concepts and skills learned in school. What is something you would like for your parents to do with their kids when you teach decimals, temperature, world cultures, etc.? Break these down into very basic and easily understood directions that are free from educational jargon.
- Blog entries that offer questioning techniques. How can parents start and continue a dialogue with their child that will stretch the mind? What kinds of questions could a parent ask the child in the grocery store, when viewing interesting events in nature, construction sites, businesses, etc. that would encourage them to think critically?
Obviously when brainstorming, many ideas come out but not all of them are reasonable. Still, I think there are probably other ways we could use this blogging technology to help our parents become better helpers and teachers in their child’s life. There are so many experiences in life that reinforce what we teach in school, yet many parents do not know how to take advantage of these experiences as learning opportunities. They may desperately want to, but simply not have the tools needed to be effective.
I hope this has spurred some thinking on ways you might be able to use a blog, not just to keep parents informed of what you are doing, but to help them understand and learn how to be teachers at home. After-all, a parent is the child’s first and main teacher in life. It behooves us to offer them some training they can use at home. Take some time to do your own brainstorming. In an ideal world, if you had tons of time, what might you include in a blog like this? How would you organize it? How would you utilize it? How would you promote it to the parents? I would love to hear your ideas. I sincerely hope you will post comments below sharing your own ideas. Although this is only at the idea stage right now, I certainly plan to think more about it with the goal of starting a parent blog in the near future and I hope you’ll do the same.
I loved your entry! I am an elementary ed major and I just applied for my internship. I recently signed up for this newsletter and am enjoying the information it is providing. I will be very interested to hear how successful your blog is. This is an idea I have been tossing around myself (I have a thousand for when I finally get into my classroom…) So it is helpful for me to hear about what works for teachers and what does not. I think it is a wonderful idea and as a parent myself, I would certainly participate. What an easy way to get relevant information about your child’s classroom and ask questions in a non-threatening environment (unlike the meetings). I recently started a blog for a class project and they are not only easy to create but maintain. So good luck and please let us know how it turns out.
As a new teacher this year through an alternative certification program, I fully understand the need to communicate acronyms to parents. I thought I had a good grasp of vocabulary, until I entered the education field and realized that teachers communicate in a foreign language of acronyms. I can empathize with the parents who are embarrassed to ask the teacher “what are you talking about?” However it was important that I learn what was being discussed, so I didn’t hesitate to say, “Excuse me, what does XYZ mean?” I think the idea of blogging is well intentioned and will be well received by the parents.
I totally agree that we assume that parents just know how to ‘teach’ their kids. To teachers it comes naturally because they are educated in specific strategy, etc.
In an effort to de-mystify a lot of how we teach kids to read these days I have started a blog called Awesome Little Readers. It is for parents to ask me directly (and anonymously) about how they can help their little ones learn to read. They get to ask the questions that they may feel too silly to ask their actual teacher.
Please feel free to pass on the link below.
I feel my knowledge is too important to keep a secret!
http://www.awesomelittlereaders.blogspot.com