School_and_Society

SCHOOLS AND SOCIETY In today’s society being sensitive is sometimes lacking in our school systems. The human touch has almost disappeared. This is not to say that being sensitive is not important, it is. In the speech given by the teacher to her parents, there were instances where she did exhibit sensitivity. Three of them occurred when she pointed out that translators were available, provided and explained each document she used, and agreed to stay late to accommodate those parents who work late. Being sensitive to parents’ needs sometimes makes all of the difference. By providing translator the teacher made sure that what she had to say was understood by all of her parents. It is frustrating enough when one does not speak the everyday language in which their children are taught, but it becomes overwhelming when technical terms are used as in most cases with the educational system Also, providing documents without explanations is of little use when it is not understood. According to Mendoza (2003), research in medicine and in education confirms the conventional wisdom that when professionals use technical terms and jargon without sufficient explanation, parents may not understand key information about their children. Therefore, if parents do not understand what is going on with their children at school, they may not be of much help. In a community where parents work outside of the home, it is usually during the regular school hours. Parents may not be able to get time off for parent conferences and important information may never get discussed. By staying late after hours, the teacher gives those parents an opportunity to still stay informed as those parents who can attend conferences during regular hours. Even though the teacher tries to be sensitive to the needs of the parents, some parts of her speech was just the opposite. For example, even though she is aware that a large number of the community population is low-income, she still assumes they all have computers in the home. This was made clear when she made the statement “ The school web site will also allow us to communicate by e-mail.” She informs them that they could visit this site by using their home computer to get more information about our school and my class. Communicating by email if all parents do not have computers leaves a segment of them out of the loop. In order for information to be useful, people must be able to acquire it and comprehend it (2003). Also, some parents may have thought the teacher was insensitive when she defined certain things for them such as when she stated “A Website is a place you can visit using your home computer to get more information about our school and my class.” Some parents may have felt that the teacher was talking down to them by defining these simple terms. The relationships between senders and receivers are influenced by their individual capacities and personalities, by their autonomy, and by what they believe and assume (correctly or not) about one another, that is according to Mendoza (2003). In the case of the teacher defining what parents call simple terms, feeling as if they are being talked down to, parents will be turned off and may not want to hear anything the teacher has to say. At this point, it doesn’t matter if the assumption is wrong or right, once the parents have made up their minds, little can be accomplished. As far as assuming that all parents would be able to receive information via email may make those parents who do not have this service feel as though they are not as important as those who do. Rather than feel public humiliated, some parents may not disclose that they don’t have access to email. How they are perceived in the community is more important than receiving information that may be of great benefit to them and their children. The teacher could have demonstrated greater sensitivity to the parents if she had taken the time to explain what it was the state expected their children to learn instead of just including the information that came directly from their state education office. Research in medicine and in education confirms the conventional wisdom that when professionals use technical terms and jargon without sufficient explanation, parents may not understand key information about their children so says Mendoza (2003). As in many cases, most documents that come from the state include such technical terms and jargon. Just like she took the time to define such simple terms such as web site, then she could have taken the time to define some of the terms that were probably included in the state document. The teacher is to be commended on agreeing to stay late one night a week to meet with parents. However, before she passed out a calendar showing which days she would be staying late, she could have taken a poll which night would have worked best for the majority of parents who did need that service. If the days she had chosen did not work for the parents, then that was not the solution for helping parents stay informed. According to Epstein (2001), by limiting or reducing communications and collaborative activities, teachers reinforce the boundaries that separate the two institutions . In order for parents to be able to help their children, it is essential that information be made available to them on what is happening with their children in school. J.L. Epstein (2001) staid “Students’ test scores suggest that schools are more effective when families and schools work together with the student on basic skills”. This indicates that parents should play a major role in helping their children outside of school. As a teacher, I would make every effort to communicate with my parents at least once a week via email, phone calls, and notes home to the parents letting them know what we are studying and how they may be able to assist me in making sure their children understand what it is we are covering. They can only do this if they are kept abreast of what is going on in the classroom. According to Mendoza (2003), some research suggests correlations between parents’ personal involvement in elementary and secondary schools and the children’s academic achievement. Knowing this, I would make an extra effort of involving parents to help in coming up with solutions that could better serve their specific child. Not only would I stat after school one day during the week, but, I also would make my self available on some week ends to better accommodate some of the parents who may not be able to attend meetings during the week regardless of the late night. Together, we will communicate with each other to make sure their child receives the best possible assistance needed for him to be successful. Reference Epstein, J. L. (2001). School, family, and community partnerships. Westview Press ( pp 34-36. 407-408) Boulder, Co Mendoza, J. (2003). Communicating with Parents. Clearinghouse on early education and parenting. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Retrieved May 22, 2008 from Http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/eecearchive/digest/2003/memdoza03.html