Greetings, GreenMount Community,
One powerful aspect
of the GreenMount School community is that our parents model the importance of being involved in
school. In a 1992 article in Educational Leadership, an “involved”
parent is defined as one that demonstrates two key elements.
“First,
parents are supportive. They encourage their children and they are sympathetic,
reassuring, and understanding. They show a high level of commitment to their
children and their education.
Second,
parents are active. They are doing something that is observable. This
combination of parent commitment
and active participation is what makes an “involved” parent.”
I think the most important part of this
definition is the “observable” part. I
have often said that the most important thing you can do as parents is to be
seen in the school and to participate in school-sponsored events or events that
are organized for the school community.
I heard that the family camping trip was a huge success. The children who were there this past weekend
witnessed their parents modeling that community spirit. This is a lesson in life! Also, when your children see you
participating in co-op activities, they recognize that you place a high value
on supporting the school and on working to make it the best place possible for
learning.
Actually, I think that most kids don’t
give this much thought. What? As I think about it, it seems probable that
our students have just come to expect parents to be involved. At GMS it has become part of their culture —
part of their value system. Wait a
minute, I’m going to interrupt some students to ask them about parent
involvement…..
Okay, I asked some students across the
hall what they thought about parent involvement. As I suspected, they don’t give it much
thought. However, when I asked them what
they would think if parents were not in the school a lot, they said it would be
“weird.” One student remarked that she
would be disappointed if substitutes were not parents. She said that she feels comfortable and safe
when parents are in the classrooms. As
we work to create an ethic of excellence in our school, we can learn from the
ethic of parent involvement. It’s part
of who we are, and it is expected. And
that’s exactly where we want to be with excellent work. It’s who we are and it is expected.
Now, a word from our sponsor this
week: the Co-op Corner. The first
trimester ends in six weeks. At that
time, every parent should have completed at least 10 hours of co-op work. Please contact Ms. Elaine to review your job
preferences or to make a job assignment.
There’s always plenty to do in a schoolhouse where 98 students
and 17 adults spend a large portion of their day.
Announcements:
There will be a
meeting of those parents wanting to contribute to our current theme on Thursday
at 4:30 p.m. If you have some Civil War
knowledge or information to share, please feel free to join us.
Please don’t
forget Adjunct Back to School Night tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. (agenda
attached). Our adjunct teachers are eager
to explain their programs to you, and I hope you will come to show your support
for them.
“I am of the
opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it
is my privilege to do for it whatever I
can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more
I live.”
- George Bernard Shaw
Cheers,
Steve
