Parent Involvement Seen as a Lack Thereof

These papers really hit home.  For the past two years I have been hearing "It's because the parents don't value education" or "We don't have ANY parent involvement".  To be completely honest, I agreed.  Oftentimes parents wouldn't even show up for IEP meetings.  Some parents seemed to have no clue that their child was failing.

...And to be honest, a lot of the blame is on the teachers.

Shocking as it may be, I too take some blame.  I HATE calling home and/or talking to parents.  I have a hard time understanding accents, I worry that they may put me in an awkward position (i.e. blaming me and having the situation blow up) or something similarly negative.

But if we want all of this "parent involvement", which the Auerbach paper suggests we reconceptualize, I think that we need to take active roles in getting what we want.  In truth, my idea of parent involvement is definitely different from that of my students' families.

While Auerbach suggests that "parent support" is the same as "parent involvement" I have to disagree.  I support my students, but I also actively involve myself in their grades and their lives.  I feel like, with many parents, it isn't enough to simply support their child.

That being said, I think the biggest issue at hand is the lack of parent-teacher communication.  I honestly feel that communicating more with the parents can (and will, next year) truly open up a lot more achievement.  Does this change the fact that some students simply aren't motivated to succeed for whatever reason?  Certainly not, but it may change the attitudes of some students.

Politics of Caring: First Hand

So I wanted to share a story that ties in with a lot of what we have been talking about.

As many of you know, a large percentage of my students are Hispanic or Latino.  Coming from a culture where machismo is expected and feelings are kept private, it is often difficult to get students to open up.  I like to think that there is something about me that puts people at ease; earlier I stopped at the liquor store (for cooking purposes, not because I desperately need to binge drink) and the clerk there tried out a few jokes that I am assuming are destined for her open mic night stand up act.  Be that as it may, it is often difficult with some of my students.

One in particular did a stellar job first term.  He had all A's and B's in every class.  Then second term rolled around and he slipped.  "It's an off term" I told myself.  I checked with him, he said nothing was wrong, and we moved on.  Third term showed a huge drop in his grades, effort, everything.  He would show up to class unprepared, no work from the previous day, no pen.  I asked him every day what was going on and got nothing.  Eventually I expressed my frustrations to him.  He told me that he didn't like his history teacher and that if he did well he would get put into honors history next year and have the same teacher.  I explained that his Biology grade has nothing to do with his history placement and things seemed to change for the better.  Within days it was the same song and dance.

He came in to talk to me on Friday last week because he was in a class that he didn't want to be in.  Surprise surprise, it was history.  He often does this, but this Friday they had gotten report cards.  "What's wrong with you??  Unsatisfactory effort?  Inconsistent work?  What the effffff!".  I told him flat out "You have been a mega slacker this term" and went on to explain what I meant by that.  I again asked him what was going on and he told me the history thing.  I again explained how it works and followed up with "What's going on?  Why the change?"  It was at this point that he told me it was my fault and that I needed to yell more (oddly enough this is something that a couple of kids have requested).  Finally he told me "I can't tell you.  It's family stuff".

This wouldn't be the first time, nor will it be the last time that I have heard this.  When faced with this all that you can do is say "OK well if you want to share, let me know".  His first instinct was to refuse but then he kind of shocked me.  "Actually you're the only teacher that I can trust on in this whole school"  He went on to explain that second term his grandfather had passed away.  After that, things started going downhill, he started getting angry, and his grades started slipping.  I took that opportunity to thank him for sharing that with me, assured him that I wouldn't share it with his guidance counselor or his other teachers if he didn't want me to, and shook his hand.  I knew that it took a lot for him to share that and I knew that the ball was now in my court to help him.

Yes, this is just one student.  Yes, in the grand scheme of things, I have invested boatloads more time on this one student than many of my others.  Yes, that five minutes on Friday made a huge impact on both of us. 

I think that, for me, this is a sign that I am doing something right.  Certainly not everything, but at least something.  Some students latch on very quickly and open up just as easily, with others it takes an investment of time and caring, but when students see that you care and students see that "My other teachers are mean, but you're the only nice one" it opens up so many possibilities.

Dreamkeepers

The first thing that I thought upon beginning Gloria Ladson-Billings book was something that I have struggled with for a while. Are the struggles of minority students because of poor education or are they receiving a poor education because of the socioeconomic conditions that they face? Is it a never ending cycle? Many of the ideas presented in the book posed a challenge to my preconceptions and opinions. What kind of effect would separate schools have on our society? Certainly minority students have different needs and often vastly different life experiences than do white students, but isn't there a way to get everyone the education that they need without segregating schools again? I truly feel that minority students should get the help that they need in schools, but I do not believe that separate schools are the way to go. This then leads in to chapter 2. Do African American students deserve harsher punishments or less harsh punishments in school? I think that both situations paint African American students in a "civilized savages" light. Arguments such as the idea that they "don't know any better" or that they "need a break" echo the idea of the white man's burden. They do not show cultural sensitivity and certainly don't lend themselves to culturally relevant teaching. If teachers cannot realize the innate racism of these arguments, there is little chance of them honestly reaching their African American students. I think that teachers like Ms Hilliard who connects learning to life are truly the types of people that can reach minority students. When students are invested in their learning and are enjoying it, they get so much more out of it. My students enjoyed designing their own enzymes. They got to pick the medium in which they wanted to "advertise" their product and got to decide what they would want their enzyme to do. It was fun and got them interested. In the end, students learned so much from it. When students (minority or majority) can connect to the topic or activity at hand,they take that much more from it. In conclusion, I think that separating minorities and white students is the wrong answer to the dilemma. Instead teachers need to focus on embracing difference. A quote that I truly love, by Dr Adela A Allen states that "We should acknowledge difference, we should greet difference, until difference makes no difference anymore."