Previously, we discussed
the issue of parents and guardians who seem neglectful and show very little, if
any, interest in their children’s day-to-day work, or lack of work, at
school. However, I made it clear that
there’s nothing to be gained when educators or PTA parents point fingers at
students’ parents who do not regularly participate in school activities, or
communicate regularly with teachers, or attend school and PTA meetings. We do not help students to learn by judging
their parents or by comparing one parent to another. How, then, do we constructively help parents
and guardians to replace any misconceptions they may have of the schools where
they send their sons or daughters everyday, i.e. viewing schools as daytime
babysitters? How do we motivate parents
to become involved and be a part of their children’s day-to-day education, and
not feel like “outsiders” in the Education process? How do we help parents to see and feel that
they are an integral part of how their children learn everyday as they grow in
body, mind and soul? As often as I
unabashedly urge everyone to welcome “change”, I admit that these are not easy
paths to follow. However, let us first examine some common misconceptions that
many of us may have about schools, teachers, and administrators -- about
Education in general. Before we attempt
to develop positive solutions that could encourage more parent participation at
school, let us review how/why the many labels and misconceptions of Education
might have become ingrained into our culture.
Perhaps once we understand the origins of these labels/misconceptions we
can then replace them with progressive and practicable concepts of the true
nature of Education.
According to recorded
History the early development, growth, and management of Education in Belize (British Honduras )
is credited to pioneering initiatives of the Church. There continues to be a church-state
partnership in Education in Belize Belize from its
early colonization days as British Honduras up
through today as Independent Belize.
Nonetheless, therein also may lay the roots of the misconceptions that
schools alone are responsible for the development and management of a student’s
education. Perhaps, many parents have
always felt, or still do, that they are not supposed to intervene or meddle
with (church) schools to educate students, i.e. to help them develop critical
thinking and self-discipline.
Consequently, many parents choose to stay out of their children’s
Education process and let the church/school alone handle it. As a result, these parents may seem not to
care about their children’s schooling, even though the parents really do
care. Moreover, there are parents who
were not privileged to obtain a formal academic education (i.e. Primary School
only) and perhaps they feel that they are nowhere as qualified as the Church to
“take charge of” their children’s
Education -- that’s for church/school, not parents, to do. How do we, then, remove the misconception
that some parents may have that their participation in their children’s
education is much less important than that of church and school? Another misconception that many
parents/guardians have is that they have no say in how a student learns at
school since that is a church/state responsibility. To counter this, schools,
especially Primary/Elementary, could include frequent parent classroom
participation as a part of a student’s daily learning process. By being fully aware of each other, schools
and parents can motivate each other to be a part of a student’s daily learning
process, inside and outside of school.
What, though, constitutes
active parent participation in a child’s Education? Is it picking up report cards, knowing our
children’s teachers, and attending school or PTA meetings? Is it paying school fees and tuition on
time? Is it making sure that our
children go to school (in uniform) everyday and complete homework
everyday? More than all that, it entails
“being a part of” our children’s daily learning experience! From their entry to exit of a school, we
parents can develop a partnership with the school (teachers and administrators)
to help enrich our children’s
learning opportunities. That includes
constantly monitoring our children’s progress or lack of progress at school. Nevertheless, “partnership” involves two
sides: parents and schools. Thus,
schools also should monitor students’ progress, or lack of progress, at home. Schools and parents, as well as the entire
community, need always remember that Education (learning) is given and received
not only within school walls! Yet,
educators may ask, “How do we work at school with students whose parents seem
to have wiped their hands of all responsibility to their children?” What’s to stop teachers from doing the
same? Furthermore, it’s commonplace
today for both parents to work (outside the home) everyday. How then can parents and schools
establish/keep working partnerships when today’s family dynamics and structures
have changed so very much from what they used to be? There are no simple
answers to these questions. Nonetheless,
these are issues that as a nation we cannot ignore or expect only one side to
solve. Let us address these issues by keeping
informed at all times and never assuming to know what goes on at school and at
home!
My experience, inside
and outside of Belize, as student (Primary/Secondary/University), as teacher
and guidance counselor, and as parent has proven that one of greatest tools
educators can use, and the best motivation that schools can offer students and
their parents is to make school a positive experience every single
day. That keeps everyone interested and
involved at school. Yet, that is quite a
large order for any school. Surely,
routine teaching and testing, teaching and testing, teaching and testing is not
enough to provide a positive experience everyday for students, teachers, or
parents. This is why non-academic (no grades) or extra curricular activities,
including Sports, are offered and help enhance each student’s daily learning
experience. Moreover, extra curricular
activities for students also encourage more parents to participate in school
activities. What parent does not want to
see, even help, a son or daughter give a speech, act in a school play/drama, or
play competitive football, basketball, or volleyball against another school’s
team? Also, throughout the length of a
student’s career in school, healthy competition can be encouraged, not only in
the area of grades but throughout all extra curricular activities where students
can compete against each other and/or against other schools. Finally, in reviewing my previous experience
as an educator since 1978, as teacher and guidance counselor, I feel that
positive experiences for me occurred at school especially when I was most
“prepared”. Therefore, let us thank administrators and teachers for being
prepared, and above all, for having
patience. Patience, more than any academic preparation,
is what best enables teachers and administrators to ‘connect’ with students in
order to try to understand them and help them.
(Of course, we should all strive to keep that in mind when dealing with
each other – whoever and wherever we may be!)
Yes, let us clarify many
misconceptions that exist about teachers and schools by involving everyone in
our systems of Education. “It takes a
village!” All of us, not only schools
and parents, have important roles to play in the process of helping young
people (our children) to develop physically, socially, psychologically,
intellectually, morally and ethically.
First, though, we must accept that Education involves not only an
accumulation of knowledge, but also the day-to-day “practice” of what we learn.
Let us disregard old labels and become motivated to be actively involved in our
children’s daily learning experience.
Parents and educators: let us stop looking at each other as suspiciously
as we have done in the past or as many of us still do today. The best education that a student could
possibly receive is one given by home, school, church, and the entire community
actively working hand in hand to continuously learn from each other while
helping students to learn and grow everyday. Education, after all, is not so
much about successful teaching as it is about genuine learning.
Final word: Excuses do not solve problems. Parents who may think that they have
acceptable excuses for not being a part of their children’s learning process
(Education) are basically choosing to avoid the challenges of parenthood and of
today’s rapidly changing world. Schools
that do not engage students’ parents and the entire community from the
beginning of a student’s career, or are too engaged in the mass production of
graduates, need to reorient themselves to integrate school and family, as well
as policy makers and the (faith) community.
As individuals and as a nation, as a jewel, let us emphasize teamwork
and humane progressive education, at school and at home, instead of emphasizing
Education as rote learning and diplomas.
Let us, whenever we consider our children’s Education, eradicate from
our vocabulary the phrase “their job” and replace it with “our job”.
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