This weeks readings were very interesting for me to go through because of the connection they have to my Community Study Project. While reading the Tan and Collignon article I could really make connections to the Asian families they talked about. In our research for the Asian Immigrant group we found a lot of information on "Tiger Moms" and other parenting issues that were faced in the education system, like the lack of communication because of language barriers. Because of the push on English language fluency, there is a struggle to connect with parents who cannot speak the language very well. This also becomes a problem for students because they have to translate for both parties. Then there is always the issue of students who have English as a second language, who are understanding the material, but cannot express it.
Another thing that I found interesting in Beyond the Bake Sale was the way the schools worked with the communities to make parents feel more supported in their relationship with the school, teachers, and their children. This reminded me of the phrase, "it takes a village to raise a child." Support, from anywhere, is always a great thing to have, whether it's extended family or neighbors and friends, or the community. One thing I wasn't so sure of was the school that required parents to volunteer to enroll their children in the school. There are some parents out there that want the best education for their child, but they might not have the ability to volunteer. I understand that different schools can create policies if they wish, but I wasn't sure how much I agreed with that one.
The final thing that I really enjoyed about these articles was how much they lend to the idea of building parent teacher relationships. In our Adolescent Development class on Tuesdays we have done some fake parent teacher meetings and I was really nervous to go through with my own. I felt like that was going to be the most intimidating part of teaching, dealing with parents. Once I had finished my fake meeting though, I was much less nervous for this aspect of teaching. Parents just want to see their child doing well whether they can or cannot help. These articles gave many different insights on how to involved and engage parents in their child's learning and I thought they were extremely helpful and something I would refer back to in my future as a teacher.
I agree that forcing someone to volunteer is not really volunteering. It is difficult to require someone to take time away from their work or family in order to volunteer for something. My mother worked throughout my life and worked long hours. Her weekends were spent with my brother and I. Requiring her to give even more of her time would have been unthinkable. My father was incapable of being involved in school or community affairs, so for me that school would not be an option.
ReplyDeleteHi Rae,
ReplyDeleteI can relate to your final paragraph about being nervous about parent meetings. When I first started teaching part time, I was nervous about what to say to the parent and if I had exact answers and specific suggestions as to how to help their child improve etc. But after speaking with parents more and more over the past couple of years, its also clear to me that they just want to feel that you are interested in their child's success and the most important things about communication are being caring, open, honest and available for conversation
I also found the Tan and Collignon reading particularly useful in relation to the community study project. It would be impossible to study any aspect of a community without acknowledging how influential parents are. It was also interesting to see Phitsamay's mother last Wednesday talk about her experiences as a parent and the language barriers which existed. That is a serious issue we will need to handle in the future.
ReplyDeleteIt is also funny how you mentioned the mock parent teacher conference. I remember not knowing what to expect when my class did it in the Spring. Though my professor ended up making it quite painless (Prof. Brown).