Wow, talk about a late posting…
Anyway, my co-op and I have been talking a lot about parents of students. Several teachers on my team complain about the parents not being involved enough in their child’s education. However, my co-op explained to me that many of the students that are having enough problems to call for a parent-teacher conference are coming from poverty-stricken homes. These parents are used to coming into a school to talk strictly about business and what the child is doing wrong. What parent only wants to hear bad things about their child? What does that say about their parenting? I learned this week that my co-op works hard to find reasons to write letters of recognition that get sent home to the parents of students that are working hard or doing well. She believes that not only does this build the relationship between the student and parents, but it also gives a trusting impression of the teacher, as well. That way, if the parents get called in for a conference, they know that the teacher is focusing on both the positive and the negative – not just the negative (that so many other teachers seek out).
I love this idea. If I were a parent, I would much rather hear difficult news from a teacher that I know is genuinely invested in my child's education. I would really like to hear what everyone else thinks about this idea!
I agree. My co-op had me call a parent after school yesterday, because I had sent her son into the hallway to calm himself after repeated (kind) attempts to get him to stop being disruptive in class. My co-op was out of the room and I had ten students in a circle as we bump-read and discussed a book. This is a student who continuously distracts his classmates with silly antics. When I talked with the mom, she vented with, "This is only the first month of school and I'm so tired of all these phone calls already from teachers about my son.". I proceeded to tell her that I enjoyed her son and that we got along nicely, but it was just a matter of him needing to be attentive at more serious moments when the class is quietly focused on something. She then shared something that had happened between her son and my co-op that was the backdrop for her frustration and I politely wrapped up my conversation and brought my co-op to the phone to addrss that previous issue. I must say that the top-down, my way or the highway, classroom culture does not work with these kids who have no impulse control. I have snuck in my subversive mini lessons to the students delight and see them perk up, but clearly am not to do that on a regular basis. Heaven help me! My heart and my obedience are terribly conflicted.
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