How Parents Can Create Better Schools
At the start of the school year, I thought I'd repost a video that I posted awhile ago. For a parent with kids in elementary school, this video says it all.
I really cannot imagine sending my kids to school every day without knowing who their teachers are, without the willingness to help my kids' school in any way I can - and without knowing that I am contributing somehow - in some way - to my kids' education. This is, in my opinion, essential to our kids' success in school.
To paraphrase my favorite part of this video, I (as a parent) - we (as parents) - need to :
Believe: We have to and need to believe that teachers want the best for our children.
Get Involved: However, we just can't sit back and depend on someone else to figure everything out for our kids. Parents need to get Involved. We need to get to know our kids' teachers. We need to (through regular communication, through volunteering, or through simply helping our kids study every night), show our kids' teachers and schools that we are involved and want to help our kids succeed.
Ask Questions: Instead of reacting or getting defensive when we get concerned about a school-related issue - maybe - instead - we should ask and keep asking more questions. For a lot of parents (sometime me!), developing the ability to ask the right questions is a difficult yet important skill to learn.
Listen: We need to listen and seek the reasons behind the actions or decisions. This is another challenging skill to learn. (Yes, I'm speaking about myself!)
Be curious: We need to find out what our kids are learning. We need to learn about the policies and programs of our individual schools. And most important, we need to find out about the issues that face our school districts.
If we want our own kids (and their teachers) to have these same skills: beleiving in others, getting involved, asking questions, listening, and maintaining curiousity - then we as parents need to lead by example. We need to show our kids that we care as much about their education - as we want them to care about their education.
The annual Cudahy school board budget meeting is tonight. Here is the agenda. http://www.cudahy.k12.wi.us/board/201112schoolboardagendas.cfm
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