Greetings,
GreenMount Community,
Here is something I wrote about
this time two years ago:
One
of powerful thing about the GreenMount School community is that parents model
the importance of being involved in school. In an article in Educational Leadership from 1992, an
“involved” parent is defined as one that demonstrates two key elements. “First,
parents are supportive. They encourage their children and 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 level of commitment
and active participation is what makes an ‘involved‘ parent.”
The part that I think is most important
in 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 participating in school-sponsored events or events
that are organized for the school community.
Also, when your children see you participating in co-op activities they
recognize that you place a high value on supporting the school and working to
make it the best place possible for students to learn.
Actually, I think that most kids don’t
give this much thought. What? As I think about it, it seems that it is
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 commented 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 what is expected. And
that’s exactly where we want to be with excellent work. It’s who we are and what is expected.
This morning, I visited some
classrooms and asked the students what they thought about parent involvement in
the school. The different responses I
got from younger students and older ones were interesting. See if you can guess if the comment came from
a seventh/eighth grader or a second/third grader:
“Parents help the teachers by
watching the class when they have something else to do.”
“Parents help the community and
school grow.”
“It’s good that parents know what
we are doing and who the teachers are.”
“Sometimes it’s weird when I see
my mom in school when don’t expect it.”
“Sometimes my mom will come to my
classroom when she is working in the school to ask me if I forgot my lunch.”
“Parents make it cheaper to go to
GreenMount because of the work they do.”
“Parents make GMS a better place
to learn with their work. They create a good environment to play and learn.”
“Parents run fun activities like
Skate Night.”
“When my dad has to work in the
school it usually means that I have to get to school early. I need my sleep!”
Whatever
you might read into these comments, my interactions with the students find that
they view you as an important part of our school. Indeed, you are – thankfully!
Cheers,
Steve
