Parents are not interested in their Children’s Education by
Mrs. Dorothy Barron
People who make a sweeping or general statement that Parents
are not interested in their children’s education do not know Parents; in my
experience, such has proven to be an incorrect statement.
Most Parents are interested, but some schools (teacher, staff
and the administration) summarily dismiss and/or usurp Parents’ role and
authority and then cite parental involvement as a major problem in Education. Too often, school faculty and administrators
fail to get to know Parents, engage them and/or work toward forming a
partnership with Parents.
When I volunteered inside some schools, the constant
umbrage from the school was, “Parents are not interested in their children’s
education. “ I did not find such to be the case. What I did find was many
Parents did not feel comfortable inside the school, did not feel welcome, did
not know what would be expected or asked of them and therefore, stayed away.
Getting to know Parents and their hobbies, talents or skills
and providing a means for them to showcase such goes a long way in getting
Parents involved in, at and with your school.
At one school in which I served as PTA President, people
thought it odd that I operated an office at the school full-time, but the
education of our youth takes time and serious commitment. The position gave me
the opportunity to get to know Parents, their children and sectors which served
both.
One fundraiser consisted of selling barbecue meals to the
community. I had served some years ago as school-business liaison and therefore
did not doubt that I could get businesses and community involved in either
donating and/or purchasing meals, but up a creek as to who would cook the meal
unless…. To make a long story short, the chefs on the day of the fundraiser were
Parents who previously would not visit the school unless called for a school
conference or had never been to the school.
The support of businesses and community; the camaraderie between parents and the
school – inclusive of the principal having assumed the role of chef for a brief
period and the pride exhibited from Parents who were able to utilize their
skills and make a valuable contribution to their children’s school made the fundraiser
an overwhelming success in a number of ways. It also refutes the claim that Parents are not
interested in their children’s education or are not involved with their
children’s school. These Parents’ school
involvement enabled the continuation of worthwhile programs and projects to
their children.
The Parents involvement did not end there; a number of those
same Parents showed up afterward to inquire as to how they could get involved
and/or whether another similar opportunity would be presented for them to
assist?
So, and as you have seen, getting to know Parents, their
hobbies, talents or skills and providing a means for them to showcase such can
serve to get Parents involved in, at and with your school.
Mrs. Dorothy Barron, Founder
Parents Taking Charge in Education http://mrsdbarron.blogspot.com
E-mail: barron.dorothy@yahoo.com
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