Is it easy to connect with your child's school?

Replies:

• 
• by
  • justgrape723
  on Aug. 2, 2008 at 9:23 AM

• I have a 21 y.o. (who is now in college and a 5 y.o. who is just starting kindergarten) and it just seemed to me that the younger your child is  the MORE the school wants you involved...as he got older it got less and less.......it seems to me (and a lot of friends) that 5th grade seemed to be the "average" cut off grade......

  I wanted to stay involved. I wanted to keep lines of communication open.  I wanted updates from teachers. I was willing to receive notes , letters, phone calls or emails from the school/teachers. It was like pulling teeth to be able to get the teachers to respond to me when I had a question or concern. I think it would benefit the school, the student AND the parent if the schools would be more open to parent involvement in the higher grades........JMO

• 
• by
  • charlie06
  on Aug. 2, 2008 at 9:54 AM

• My children are not in high school yet. But, I believe that having open communication with the teachers is a great idea. Especially in High School.

  IF you can read this without a silly British accent, thank a Revolutionary War Veteran!

  

• 
• by
  • beanielips
  on Aug. 2, 2008 at 10:45 AM

• I started to comment on this, and it got to long.  So instead ot getting on my soap box here, I made my our journal (http://www.cafemom.com/journals/read/1140215/Connecting_with_schools)

  I will say this, I teach high school and parents, at that level, are a double edge sword.

  Good luck with your Master's project!

  

• 
• by
  • preciouschild
  on Aug. 2, 2008 at 10:53 AM

• I really hope they make that better because I know communciation with my daughters school is wonderful and shes going into 3rd.We usually email once a week and then they bring home a newsletter too.I also email with the school counslor since Nikki sees him I think its once a week.

• 
• by
  • TinaFabulous
  on Aug. 2, 2008 at 2:59 PM

• Our district is very involved with the parents through emailed Friday Folders, parent teacher conferences, emailing or calling teachers with phones in every classroom. However, I have heard that in junior high they do not make the teachers as accessible. My son will be entering 6th grade and my other son is still in elementary school in 4th grade. Something I would like is access to the children's assignment's and due dates. In our district you are able to access your childs grades every 2 weeks. This is for test, quizes and homework.

  Check out my group Fun For Kids.

  
  

  

• 
• by
  • rdrunner
  on Aug. 2, 2008 at 9:09 PM

• beanielips said
  

  Quote:
  
  instead ot getting on my soap box here, I made my our journal (http://www.cafemom.com/journals/read/1140215/Connecting_with_schools)

  
  
  Thank you so much for your detailed journal post. You describe very clearly the challenges facing teachers particularly in high school. Parents have a responsibility to be teachers too, not just advocates. Your approach is to be commended!

• 
• by
  • Wyndi
  on Aug. 3, 2008 at 3:44 PM

• I have always been involved with my kids teachers. I actually had a teacher say to me its not that parents that don't show up for conferences are the kids that need it most, its frustrating when the parents don't care how the child is doing in school.

  Last year we moved and the new school has teachers that seem to only care about their paychecks. They don't return calls or answer e-mails and don't even try to make an appointment for an after school meeting cause they have plans and such. I have shown up for school mandated parent conferences last year and the teachers did not show up.

• 
• by
  • SHELL28
  on Aug. 3, 2008 at 3:59 PM

• 2 of my kids go to a small private school (they have been there since k4) and i love it because everyone knows everyone and the teachers and parents are open and friendly and easy to speak to...about 2 yrs ago i put them in public school and i didn't like it at all..it was too crowded and the parents were rude and the teachers were distant.. my youngest does go to public school for special education..and i got very lucky to have a sweet and caring teacher and we have open communication and i feel like i can go in at anytime and be involved.
  

• 
• by
  • malam
  on Aug. 4, 2008 at 2:48 AM

• We are lucky to have a "Parent Internet Viewer" for grades 6--12 and it does help...if the teachers use it....most do in our district and for those who don't I ask them why and sometimes they use the "I don't have time" excuse...which I do understand when you have 6 classes of 36 students.....a parent has to understand that some teachers are computer geeks and some are not as I have learned....just because the district says things are available doesn't mean every teacher is able to implement the system into their teaching capabilities. Parents do sometimes try and rescue their kids when they find out they are way behind or are failing....

  This last year I stopped being one of those rescue types and let my two in high school fail. They each had to attend summer school this summer and they both said "I never want to do this again".

  I think that they both learned very valuable lessons from this experience and both of them are also getting organized for this next year by themselves. In other words they made the lists of what they need and brought them to me.....Yea!

  They have asked me to check the Parent Internet viewer each day to be able to sit and talk about how they are doing. I have put the ball into their court and said that they can pull off the information daily and I will help where I can. I know that they now have the skills to do this on their own and I am glad because they are not going to go to college and crash they will be prepared and able to suceed without me....

  I like the PIV system though and at our schools most of the teachers do email you back in a timely manner...you have to just have patience sometimes.....I have found that being kind and considerate to each of my childrens teachers has always gotten me a lot farther than the parents who yell and try to blame the teachers for their childs failure in the class....Good luck on your Master's Project ...Marty
  

  malam

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