You probably already know this, but I have taken a sincere interest in finding ways to support parents who want to have more math-based conversations with their kids and teachers who recognize this area as one of need. It should be no surprise, then, that my most recent work during conferences and workshops have been centered around a very important foundation:
A child's parents will have the most profound impact on the life of the child.
Sure, when asked who their favorite teacher was, most kids--and adults--will rattle off their 5th grade teacher who loved them dearly, their 8th grade science teacher who fostered a love of science, or their AP Calculus teacher who found a way to make it all click... or some iteration of those. Rarely will a response come that thanks a parent, or family member who helped raise them, for teaching an ideal, setting a foundation, and supporting their every ambition.
So now, the big question I have as a teacher, is "What can I do to help?"
I'm a teacher, trying everything I possibly can, to help my students' get the most out of their education. My response lies here:
A child's parents will have the most profound impact on the life of the child.
Sure, when asked who their favorite teacher was, most kids--and adults--will rattle off their 5th grade teacher who loved them dearly, their 8th grade science teacher who fostered a love of science, or their AP Calculus teacher who found a way to make it all click... or some iteration of those. Rarely will a response come that thanks a parent, or family member who helped raise them, for teaching an ideal, setting a foundation, and supporting their every ambition.
So now, the big question I have as a teacher, is "What can I do to help?"
I'm a teacher, trying everything I possibly can, to help my students' get the most out of their education. My response lies here:
From the perspective of an educator, these are the things I hope we can encourage our parent community to do as a way of supporting their child's educational journey.
Well, I shared this slide, and a few others, with a group of educators in California at an EdTechTeam Summit this weekend and we proceeded to talk about ways we are supporting parents. It was a ton of fun, mostly because I had people take on roles.
Well, I shared this slide, and a few others, with a group of educators in California at an EdTechTeam Summit this weekend and we proceeded to talk about ways we are supporting parents. It was a ton of fun, mostly because I had people take on roles.
In setting this session up, I thought about the many "types" of parents and labels we place on them, leaving many of the stereotypes intentionally vague. I had no idea what to expect, no clue on the conversations that would ensue, and just had to take the risk and try it out.
The conversations were phenomenal. The viewpoints varied, with attendees taking on different vantage points of the label. You may look at "Single with No Support" as a negative, but someone else may see it as a positive. It was fascinating to listen to people talk through their ideas on this prompt in particular:
Your child gets sent home with some work that the teacher wants to be completed as a family. How do you handle this as a parent with that label?
So, I'll ask you the same thing. Whether it's replying in the comments, tweeting it out to me, or just thinking to yourself, I'm interested in how you answer the question from the perspective of someone with the label of your birth month.
The big thing here is to be aware of how we are perceiving our parent community and in what ways we can lean on them for mutual support of their child's learning. After all, they are sending us their best and we owe it to them to try.
Happy "Parental Support" Fishing
Your child gets sent home with some work that the teacher wants to be completed as a family. How do you handle this as a parent with that label?
So, I'll ask you the same thing. Whether it's replying in the comments, tweeting it out to me, or just thinking to yourself, I'm interested in how you answer the question from the perspective of someone with the label of your birth month.
The big thing here is to be aware of how we are perceiving our parent community and in what ways we can lean on them for mutual support of their child's learning. After all, they are sending us their best and we owe it to them to try.
Happy "Parental Support" Fishing
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