Ch. 9: Involving Parents and Communities

I would like to think that it is common sense that if parents are involved in their child’s learning that the child will benefit and be more successful in life and academics as a whole. Jackson
and Davis emphasized this aspect by writing a chapter on how to get parents and
community members involved in learning so success is achieved. Through reading
this chapter I kept thinking to myself and writing in the margins “Duh,” “Of
course,” and “Doesn’t everyone know this,” but I guess in some households the
norm on schooling has gone out the window. Parents no longer think that it is
their specific job to enrich their child’s life on the knowledge of academics
and be interested in what their child is learning at school, after all that is
where their tax money is going, right? In my household, I was a three sport
athlete, I worked at part time job and I was in all the school plays, my parents
were on the sidelines cheering me on during sports, in the audience during my
performances and “nagging” me to do my homework. They were always interested in
the new things I was learning, the field trips I went on and the amount of
homework I got in a night. With their involvement, I felt that I had to prove
myself and show what I could achieve. It saddens me to think that some parents
don’t even care what their child does after school let alone what they learn in
school. Family involvement is very important because it helps boost morel and
self-esteem in a child. With the involvement from others besides teachers they
know and realize how to act and behave in the “real-world” and their self-worth.
We should always give credit where credit is deserved. The children or young
adults as they may be are the kin of their parents and I feel it is their
parent’s responsibility to bring out the best in their children. Davis and Jackson
listed non-expensive things parents can do to show involvement on page 196 and
I feel that these three things should take place in every household. They are
(1) create a home environment that encourages learning, (2) express high (but
not unrealistic) expectations for their children’s achievement and future
careers, and (3) become involved in their children’s education at school and in
the community. By following these three expectations most students are able to
get higher grades, better test scores, have more positive attitudes, receive higher
graduation rates, better attendance and fewer placements in special education
as well as high enrollment in postsecondary education (colleges). The school
also profits because they know the parents by name and get the support for what
they do and how they do it. Throughout the chapter there were many ways on how
to involve parents that I may use in my classroom and spread school wide, but
most of them I felt we learned in practicum and were common sense like mentor
programs, after-school programs, and community service. I think another great
idea would be to have the parents read the same book as the students and have a
discussion with parents versus students so the students come show their
knowledge and the parents could enlighten their children on different ways of
reading the text (this worked out well with A Clockwork Orange in my
high school English class). I feel involvement helps all around: parents,
teachers and students and should be implemented throughout the whole year.