If you think our schools aren’t doing a good job, think again. Other countries ARE outperforming us, but the reasons might be different than you think.
De-Compartmentalizing Parents
Sometimes, parents can be compartmentalized.
Recently, my second-grader brought home a drawing he had made of our family. In the picture, he was building with Legos, his brother was playing baseball, and Dad was working on the computer. And Mom? I was standing over the stove making dinner.
Now, I’m glad my kids like my cooking, but the feminist inside me protested, “I’m so much more than that!” Fortunately I remembered that he was only seven, after all, and that it’s probably quite acceptable for a young child to think of his mother primarily as a food source when still so dependent.
But the incident made me realize how parents are sometimes viewed by those who know us only through our children. And that lens can be quite limiting. When I visit my children’s school, for example, I want to be taken seriously by teachers and administrators. I want to be seen, not just as “mom” (as important as that role is), but as a stakeholder in my children’s education and a critical member of the school community.
Parents can do more than make copies in the office, accompany classes on field trips, and sponsor PTA bake sales. That’s not to say these tasks aren’t valuable to the school and its students, only that we can be so much more! Parents are vested individuals with talents and a unique perspective. We can tutor students, speak to classes, and advise on technology. We can reach out to other parents and be their voice. We can also help make decisions that impact our kids and our community!
All of which is why my involvement with the Parent Ambassador team in Cleveland Heights-University Heights is so refreshing. This team – whose meetings I facilitate with my colleague – is an amazing group of individuals. Moreover, the district knows it and is utilizing them!
Now in its third year, the Parent Ambassador team includes representatives from all district elementary and middle schools. It includes parents who are relatively new to the district, as well as members who are alumni of CH-UH themselves. Many ambassadors hold jobs outside of their parental responsibilities, while others are full-time caretakers. Regardless, each is a valued member of the team and each is dedicated to serving as a resource, not just for the district, but also for other parents.
District administrators have met with the ambassadors to share information and gather feedback. The parents, in turn, share their perspective – and that of their fellow parents – on decisions and policies with the district. It is a mutually respectful relationship that benefits all stakeholders of the CH-UH community.
These parents cannot be compartmentalized. They cannot be defined with terms such as “helicopter parent” or “Room Mom”. They are more than the tree from which their child fell. They are vibrant members of the school, and they have gifts to offer.
Writers in the Making
“Everyone … has something important to say,” proclaims Barbara Ueland in If You Want to Write. This is a phrase I’ve used hundreds of times with students in Writing Workshop sessions, as we reminded ourselves to listen actively to classmates as they shared their work.
Maybe all each of us needs is opportunity.
My colleague Jane Harris and local author Rebecca Sloan (Branches) provided emergent writers with that opportunity on Saturday, as several parents from the Cleveland Heights-University Heights schools gathered in their own Writing Workshop. It was a beautiful experience. This wasn’t your traditional workshop, Jane informed the rest of the Link team. “These ladies are serious!”
This group of aspiring authors is a sub-group of Link’s Parent Book Club in the district. When the group read Becky’s book last spring (at the recommendation of Jane Kessler, owner of Appletree Books in Cleveland Heights), Becky joined the group and has become a full-fledged member. Having a published author in their midst has been motivational to several members, as they acknowledged a desire to write their own stories.
Unlike elementary students, who often need support to get started, each of the parents came to Saturday’s session with a piece they had started and wanted to pursue. Some works were fiction, others non-fiction, and one mom is writing a memoir of her experience growing up in the foster care system. The ideas are there. The words are there. They just need time and opportunity to put them to paper, and the fellowship of other authors to guide and encourage their progress.
It is also wonderful to reflect on how these moms, while doing something so good for themselves, are inspiring their children to pursue their own dreams – not to mention modeling a love of literacy.
At the end of any Link program, we ask participants to identify what they liked best about the time together, and this session was no different. I’ll close with a few of these comments as they speak, much more eloquently than I ever could, to the value of this time together. Which is to be expected … they’re the writers, after all!
I liked …
… sharing my ideas and being critiqued on what I created
… getting new and better ideas and inspiring information
… being able to hear others share their writings
…the sense of community in sharing support and ideas
… the energy
… the positive comments
… the spirit of sharing with other women
The Grace of Teachers
In all my years of working with teachers, I never fail to be amazed by their singular devotion to “their kids.” Teachers have an uncanny ability to cut through all the noise that goes on in education and focus on what is really at stake.
I’ve never felt that more strongly than now. This year brings greater challenges than ever to our schools and the people who staff them. The Common Core curriculum, and its implications for teaching and assessment, is here. Principals and teachers are preparing to evaluate/be evaluated against the rigorous requirements of the overwhelmingly comprehensive Ohio Teacher Evaluation System. Ohio’s “Third Grade Guarantee” that students will pass the State reading assessment is in effect. Grade level team meetings have been impacted by the data-driven demands of the Ohio Improvement Process.
And yet … the everyday life of the classroom remains untouched by the stress. To see these same teachers in the halls and in their classrooms, you’d never know the pressure they’re under. They still have their eye on the ball: What do my students need to be successful? How can I move them forward in a cocoon of safety that encourages growth? Amid the myriad of new responsibilities and – of course – instruction, teachers find time to observe students, share concerns with colleagues, and research strategies that will support their students’ learning. They familiarize themselves with their students’ test scores, learning styles, social skills and home environments to create a matrix of understanding surpassed only by a parent.
If I had to sum up the behavior I’ve seen of teachers this year in a single word, that word would be Grace. The professionalism with which they conduct themselves and the generosity of spirit they exhibit is humbling. I’m no longer a classroom teacher, but, in my position as an educational resource, I have the opportunity to work with teachers regularly. And I am continually amazed by their resilience.
