“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful
committed citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Margaret
Mead
“We must become the change we wish to create.”
Gandhi
The focus of my advocacy plan will be to increase parent
and family involvement at Kiddie City with hopes that it will increase the
involvement of the parents throughout their child’s school career
- What inspires and excites you most about your advocacy
plan and being an advocate?
What excites me most about my
advocacy plan is that I know that I can help make a difference in the lives of
children by helping their parents realize how important it is to be involved in
their child’s education from the start. Starting to get parents involved in
center events and conferences at the child care center level will get them in
the habit/routine of being involved in the later years. It will also help the
parents realize that we are educators, not just babysitters.
- What challenges and/or anxieties do you feel related
to engaging in the advocacy efforts you have targeted?
The only
concern I have is how to motivate staff that may be frustrated from past failed
attempts at getting parents involved and how to reach those parents that in the
past have seemed to be unreachable.
- What do you believe will be most effective in helping
you overcome any challenging emotions you may be feeling with regard to
presenting and implementing your Advocacy Action Plan?
I am excited to present and implement
my plan. This is something I have wanted to do for a while and this class has
showed me how to make time to focus on it. The challenging emotions will come
with persuading teachers who feel as if they have tried it all already and
trying to connect with parents who seem to be unreachable. The only other
emotions I am encountering is the anxiety I am feeling in trying to get through
this class to graduate in June as I am expecting a baby in June as well, so
there is a lot on my plate right now between home (husband & 4 yr old),
work, school, and pregnancy.
- How can you encourage others in their advocacy
efforts, and how can others encourage you?
I can encourage others in their
advocacy efforts by sharing my past experiences and offering suggestions that
may have worked for me regarding their topics. Others can encourage me by
sharing any motivational ideas to engage staff and any ideas to reach those
unreachable parents.
Jennifer we are living in a society that craves evidence. We do not want to hear anything without some solid proof. So the question is, with so much proof that parental involvement has a positive effect on a student's education, why are not these parents getting involved? With all the evidence to support importance of parental involvement, one would hope that the trend would shift from a lack of parental involvement to an abundance of parental involvement within the educational system. It is the job of the educators to reinforce, encourage, and support the involvement of the parents. The parents need to hear about this research and gain an understanding as to why they should become involved in their child's education. Educators need to communicate, clearly and consistently, their expectation of these parents. If the educators do all they can to get the word out and to get the parents to buy in to being involved in their child's education, perhaps in 10 years from now this lack of parental involvement will be a thing of the past. Parents these days are so busy. The educators have their work cut out to drive in this important message of parental involvement in education.
ReplyDeleteThe challenges that students in America's public school face cannot be solved by educators alone; nor can these problems be solved by parents or families alone. Students in school across the nation are confronted by critical social, emotional, and environmental. More collaboration between the school and home will need to be focused on dealing with these problems. Schools and families can no longer remain separate but equal if they are to solve the complex problems facing children today. Schools must become family places where parents are involved in many aspects of school life. Advocating for parental involvement is a fantastic idea.
Hello Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteI love your blog page Jennifer! (Smile) It is quite difficult to get parents to participate in their children’s childcare center or at the public school. I like the way you begin your post with the quotes. This is a great topic Jennifer we do need more parent involvement. Amen! That is so true parents considered us to be nothing more than babysitters instead of teachers. We need more parents coming to the school volunteering, conferences, and calling more checking on their children. Parent involvement helps to increase children’s participation in the classroom. Wow! Congrats! Jennifer to the new addition to your family. I am feeling the positive energy from your post.
Great quotes......
ReplyDeleteYou and I are working towards the same advocacy plan, "increasing parental involvement". This is such an important issue. Families need to understand that they are their child's primary educator, and if they take the time to partner with us, it's going to bring great benefits for their child's learning. I have noticed the same challenges with some of our teachers as well but I feel we can motivate others by our own actions and efforts. You do have a lot on your plate, hang in there you're almost done. Congratulations on everything graduation and the new addition.
I love your quote by Mead. Very true and matter of fact. It is difficult to get parents involved in a child's education. Most just think, "Oh, i will let the school and the teachers do that, it is their job". But what most people do not realize is that they are the child's first teacher, and that they need to stay involved in order for their child to succeed. Best of luck to you and your family.
ReplyDeleteHello Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteI commend you on your undertaking, combining personal and professional goals in conjunction with one another. If you are anything like me, you will be glad to be done being pregnant (smile). With regard to your efforts, parental involvement plays a major role in the success or failure of children in school. We know this as educators and it is important that we get the word out to the parents that might not know the research and the numbers involved with the research. I don't, for one minute, think that parents don't care. I feel that times have changed from 30 or 40 years ago with regard to family structure. No longer are the stay at home moms the norm, they are the exception. There are dual working households and the number or single-head-of household families continues to climb. In a generation where the family dynamic is unpredictable and varied from door to door, we need to be sure that we are able to successfully reach all parents so that they can appropriately interact with their child's education in whatever capacity they are able. Best of luck to you in all of your upcoming accomplishments!