Parents: Political Allies or a Subversive, Detrimental Force in Education?
You choose!
Almost all parents send their children to school.
Most parents cart or ship their kids off to school each morning because lots of positive benefits accrue to their children throughout their children's lives, and throughout their children's world-of-work careers.
More than a few parents also send children to school because the schools provide free babysitting, and often, free meals.
Some parents send their children to school because doing so is the law.
And a few parents begrudge any time that their children spend at school. Some take their loathing, fear, or religious fervor so far as to keep their children home and going through the motions of "providing an education" at home, i.e., "Home Schooling." (Question: "Homeschooling" Oxymoron or not?)
Sidebar
The reason that parents are doing a disservice to their children by sheltering them with home schooling is fodder for exploration in another newsletter article. But briefly, the reason that most home-schooled children "loose out" is the same reason that studying a "foreign" language only from books and CDs is nowhere near as effective as studying with real people. Case in point: All the Japanese who study "American" (They think it is English). What they discover is that a mispronounced vocabulary serves up only "culture shock" when they arrive on our shores. The reason: "American" is a "culture," not a language.
Support to Loose!
But, for most parents, the support for their children's teachers is "for the teacher to loose." Teachers normally inherit trust and respect when a child enrolls in their classroom.
Teachers, however, can destroy this natural good will.
Keeping in parents' good graces is tremendously easier than earning it back again!
An analogy: Imagine how many folks return to a used car lot (or even another store of any type), Website, laundromat, or even a public park...if their initial experience is negative. Grudge-carrying people return to venues associated with "bad" experiences only when they have no choice.
Grudge-carrying parents send their children to the schools after being aversively conditioned (generally by less-than-diplomatic teacher), too. But, these children now carry a "License to Wrek Havoc", granted by the disgruntled parent.
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Unlike the cheated, insulted, outraged used car buyer, the children are captive of their classrooms, and each day festers additional negative emotion and negative self-talk.
Disgruntled parents only send their children back to an antagonistic teacher's classroom because they have no choice. (Hint: The current school is often the only realistic choice, and many campuses refuse to transfer students to another classroom without an educational rationale.) Few parents have the resources to relocate their children to another school. Captive "customers" simmer in ill will and an antagonistic mood.
Teachers held "Over a Barrel"?
Actually, no.
Diplomatic skills exhibited by teachers does not mean a "The Patron is Always Right" doormat policy.
Rather, the frame of mind of diplomatic teachers needs to be, "The partner (parent) is always worth listening to and negotiating with..."
Teachers who only deal with members of the teacher's "fan club" and ignore the rest miss a great opportunity.
Teachers who view their opportunity to communicate with, negotiate with, and correspond with parents...as one of the best resources in the education of their students...win out. These teachers win over most of the parents of their children.
The "80 / 20 Rule" applies in dealing with parents.
Normal communication efforts and a little effort (the 20%) is sufficient positive public relations for 80% of your students' parents. But, this is not "good enough."
Positive relationships with only 80% or your students' parents is
Poorly Performing Schools
In poorly performing schools, or in schools where the teacher fails to manage classroom discipline correctly, the parents perform the majority of the teaching that occurs for their child (children) in the guise of "homework."
Sidebar
One of the few occasions when drill and practice homework (for "reinforcement" is justified is when there is an ineffective teacher. There are so many productive activities that creative teachers can assign instead. Assignments that engage and energize students, not bore them with repetition.
Come to think of it, maybe assigning lots of "skill and reinforcement drill" may be a leading indicator of an ineffective teacher.
Comments anyone?
Leadership Skills
Teachers need to invite parents to become members of their children's "Teaching Team." And, teachers need to mean this, believe this, "psych" themselves if they have to until this becomes true.
If time and effort were money that a teacher invested, the highest payoff and return on this investment would be made by investing in partnering with parents. Partnering with parents builds sweat equity in a "Mutual Fund" of lifelong benefits for your students.
