Everyone in a school community is learning. That’s the bottom line. Clearly students are learning (we hope!) and, in my schools where I am determined to lead, teachers are learners. If they aren’t learning, they aren’t on the essential path of continuous improvement. As well, and equally important, parents should be learning. Parents should be engaged as learners and much of this ongoing learning can, and should, be focused upon their children. The art and science of parenting is often described as the most difficult job one will ever love. For non-parents, it might be hard to get one’s head around that last sentence!
So, if parents need to be learners where do they learn about their kids and parenting? I do remember when my kids were young (they’re now in their 20’s) and our bedside tables were loaded with parenting books. They were of some use, some of the time. For me, the best learning came from conversations. Conversations with my wife, conversations with friends with kids, and conversations among other adults who concurrently shared the challenge of parenting. It didn’t matter if we were good friends or shared similar values, expectations, or approaches to parenting. What mattered in those conversations was that we shared the love of parenting. You learn alot from listening to others talk about the challenges they face as parents. In my experience as a school Principal, just about all parents care deeply about what lies ahead for their kids and how best to respond as parents. Many are open and eager to engage in conversations to explore ideas and hear about the approaches from others.
I have facilitated numerous parent discussions in workshops and evening presentations over the past 15 years. I believe schools have an obligation to support parents in their learning. Promoting evening workshops facilitated by administrators, teachers or counselors is always appreciated and always provides strong support for parent learning. Moreover, it builds bridges between the school and the parent community. It is important!
Last week, our counselors facilitated another such evening (I contributed to a degree). Below is a .pdf of the presentation. It’s worth reviewing.
As well, I believe in trying to provide solid resources to parents. There is so much online for parents to review. Here’s an absolutely terrific site for parents. So much is addressed within this site and this organization. It is rich with potential. Here’s the Common Sense link:
This web site is a truly excellent site! As well, check out the links on my blog for parents and students. There are many resources that I have tried to identify for parents and students.
Finally, another site that I found through my twitter feed in recent days is this:
This has little to do with direct parenting, but it is a really interesting site, very provocative! I’ve been passing it along to teachers and colleagues in recent days.
Stay connected and continue to communicate with your friends, your school, and, most importantly, your children. Communication, honesty, trust, integrity are the essential ingredients. Ensuring there is a communicative relationship is the most important advice and the most essential skill in the tough job description of parenting!
Finally, yet another link to a brilliant article that every parent should read is this one:
If you take anything from this blog post as a parent, take this article!
What do you do to grow your knowledge and understanding of parenting? Who are your resources? If you are an administrator, are you connecting and supporting parents in their challenging roles? If you are a parent, with whom are you exploring ideas and approaches? How are you learning and making those connections?
compliance with our learners. Is it inevitable? If there is an inevitability about such a culture with students, is the same to be said for teachers as learners? Do we build a system in which the default for adult learners is compliance? If we want kids to become enquirers and creative problem solvers, and independent learners, shouldn’t the same be true for teachers? In reality if teachers aren’t learning, then students aren’t learning.