Parents, get involved with your child'€™s studies

As I stood atop the referee’s stand during the final match of the Glacier View Lady Wolverines volleyball season I could not help but smile as I heard a single voice ringing out over the crowd’s noise after an admittedly “unplanned” play by the Lady Wolverines.

“It’s OK girls, that was a great try!”

After winning the match in three consecutive sets, the girls finished their season with a final spirited war cry as parents smiled broadly. Earlier in the

evening, the senior members of the Wolverine squad were presented with bouquets of flowers from their parents; the girls glowed as they received the recognition of finishing their final high school volleyball season. No matter what these girls may say to their friends or family, they undoubtedly appreciated their parents’ presence and support to witness the culmination of a season of sweat, injuries and trials on the volleyball court.

As I am not a parent, it is impossible for me to understand the laborious nature of raising a child or understand the joy that watching a child succeed brings. However, as an educator and a coach I have witnessed first hand the pride that a parent feels when a child succeeds and I wholeheartedly believe that all parents want success for their children.

One of the most rewarding aspects of being an educator is sharing in the joy of success. Unfortunately, at the secondary level when parents have contact with teachers during the school year it is frequently to discuss “issues” or “concerns” regarding a child’s education: parent-teacher meetings are called, progress

reports are sent home for struggling students, phone calls are made and e-mails are sent to let parents know about possible setbacks. Make no mistake — this is not a function of teachers being inherently negative people. We have simply been trained to “leave no child behind,” to focus on learning needs, and we only have so much time in an academic day.

Research unequivocally shows that parental involvement plays a critical role in a child’s education. This year the PTA website published that parental involvement can, among other things, increase achievement, improve classroom behavior, increase teacher morale, and ultimately improve and strengthen a community. Educators are trained to initiate contact with parents in order to benefit a child’s education.

Regrettably, as previously stated, negative contact ultimately takes precedence over a phone call telling a parent that their “child is doing great and they just scored a 95 percent on their last math test!”

As an educator, I am fortunate: I personally know each of my student’s parent(s) or guardian(s) and have the opportunity to speak with the majority of them frequently. I am able to pull a parent aside at a school function to let him know that his child is doing fantastic in my English II class. However, in the district’s core

schools, it is common for a teacher to have 20 to 30 students per class, and generally five classes per day. This amounts to approximately 80 sets of parents to contact. It is not my aim to shunt the responsibility of communication when I write this but I truly believe it is an invaluable action: Parents, please get to know your child’s teachers, initiate conversation, ask about your child’s classes, ongoing assignments, homework and daily work. By doing this you may, at the very least, “flesh out” the obligatory post-school conversation that begins with you asking your child what they did in school that day and the child monotonically replying “nothing.”

Furthermore, by understanding the activities in your child’s classes, you will have more opportunities to celebrate academic victories and

successes.

A parent is indisputably a child’s first, most important, and most influential teacher. As children grow, parents are there to cheer them on at their first smile, as they roll over for the first time, when they crawl, and as they take their first courageous step into their new world. It is incredibly important to continue to celebrate and support beyond the first day of kindergarten and into students’ high school careers. I would love to hear parents on the sidelines of my English II

class applauding and yelling accolades when their child achieves or giving consolation and support when something “unplanned” happens.

Parents, stake out your seat on the bleachers… we’re in for an exciting game full of metaphorical blood, sweat, tears, and hopefully, with a little teamwork, a spectacular win.

Claudia Berkley teaches at Glacier View School.