Prompt 5

Prompt #5

“Citizenship in a democratic community requires more than kindness and decency; it requires engagement in complex social and institutional endeavors,” (Kahne and Westheimer). If I were the teacher of Mrs. Smith’s second grade class, I would encounter many challenges collaborating with the parents of my students. If complex social and institutional endeavors require engagement, then I would have to engage one hundred percent into collaborating with parents and guardians about their children’s education. Furthermore, it will be necessary to involve parents in order for them to project the importance of school onto my students. Through engaging the parents, I engage the students.

In collaborating with parents, I would encounter problems setting up parent-teacher meetings due to different work schedules. Not everybody is out of work at five or eight o’clock. This might be the least of my concerns. Issues more complex than this would pose a challenge when attempting to collaborate. The issue might be a personal one, such as a parent who had bad experiences with Caucasian male teachers in the past, and have given up entirely in getting involved with their child’s education. In The Silenced Dialogue, Lisa Delpit displays the anxiety experienced by African American teachers in attempting to communicate with Caucasian teachers over curriculum. In other cases, a parent may view their child’s education as having little value, due to dislike of the curriculum. Cases of a parent’s personal neglect may also be a factor.

Finding solutions to problems such as these would require full engagement of my resources. To solve the problem of parent’s schedules, I would have to follow three rules. Send letters home with students in advance of parent-teacher meetings, establish multiple means of communication for parents to reach me, and set up meetings during the school day if necessary. If unable to attend parent-teacher meeting after school hours, then I would offer a parent alternative times during the school day. I would try to make myself as available, and accessible as possible.

In relation to parents who have had bad experiences with teachers in the past, I would have to demonstrate that I genuinely care about their concerns. If necessary, I would make appointments with parents individually, and take notes about their concerns. Then offer follow up appointments. As teacher of Mrs. Smith’s class, I would promote an open door policy, and let parents know they can always come to me with questions, concerns, and comments. Such an attitude would demonstrate my respect for the concerns of parents. The biggest challenge in collaborating with parents would come from a parent who personally neglects to recognize the importance of their child’s education. In such a case, I would demonstrate that it was in their personal interest to be involved in their child’s education, and that school provided the tools necessary to become successful. In this case, I may ask such a parent to volunteer with a class project, maybe through small donations or to chaperone on a field trip. In recognition, I would write a letter to a parent or call personally to demonstrate my respect for parents’ contributions. It is better to do this, than to do nothing.

Through bringing parents into the education system, the parent and the student engage deeper in the classroom. These ideas might seem a bit optimistic, but they are worth a try. The ideas of change over charity, as promoted by Kahne and Westheimer, apply to my ideas for collaborating with parents. If I was the teacher of Mrs. Smith’s class, and taught my students reading, writing, and, math, that would great. If engage with the parents, I may create an environment in which teacher-parent relationships change by allowing parents a chance to voice their concerns to me directly. Through establishing communication and expressing concern, I can successfully collaborate with parents.