![]() ![]() Parents should not have to fight their way into our schools they should be invited in, invited to share their stories and perspectives. On his days off, he was a substitute teacher, often mentoring young men in school.īut many parents do not know how to make their way through a complex system or even what possibilities are available to their children. My mother served 30-plus years as a teacher, principal, and school leadership director in the Fort Worth Independent School District, and my father was an engineer with the Fort Worth Fire Department. They knew how to wedge their way in and fight to get me what I needed because they understood how to navigate the system. I credit much of my success to my parents who advocated for my education. ![]() I attended local district K-12 schools, went on to college and graduate school, and eventually earned my doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies. I am a product of the Stop Six community. ‘You want to know what I think of my child’s future teacher? No one has ever asked me for that before.’ They could not believe they were asked to help interview teachers. “You want to know what I think of my child’s future teacher? No one has ever asked me for that before.” I had parents who thought the teachers would be interviewing the parents, not the other way around! And we had Spanish-speaking parents who understand spoken English but have never been asked to weigh in like this. “Me?” one parent said when we put out an open call for parent interviewers. By involving parents in critical hiring decisions, we are tapping into their critical insights - tapping into their power - to shape our school.Ī lot of our parents couldn’t believe it when we first asked them to participate. ![]() Inviting parents to interview teacher candidates at my new school is one of the ways we are building partnerships with the parents we serve. To build true partnerships with parents, educators need to think about what they can do to get parents deeply engaged and invested in their school. That’s important work, but it isn’t enough. And too many schools center their parent engagement work on what parents can do for the school (e.g., fundraising, volunteering, donating supplies). It’s clear parents want to be involved in their kids’ education now more than ever. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |