Finally, the mother returned my call to schedule a conference. Her daughter was failing because of attendance and missing work. I asked if it would be an inconvenience to meet the next day. The mother said, "Oh, you probably see me every day. I work in the front office." "What? You work here?" "Yes, I don't like for teachers to know," she said with a little laugh. She sounded embarrassed, but I was confused. If she was at the school, why wasn't she bringing her daughter along? Her daughter had failed the last marking period and she was in danger of failing for the year; yet I did not hear from the parent for weeks, and she was right there--in front of me--so near, yet so far!
Many schools require parents to sign contracts stating what they will do to participate in their child's success at school; however, some parents forget once school is underway. Students succeed when their parents are involved.
Project Appleseed is a wonderful resource for parents and teachers.
http://www.projectappleseed.org/sixstandards.html
When situations like that occur, what did you do? Or how did you react to the "un-involved parent"? I'm sure it was difficult but I am just wondering for the future what a good way to react would be.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
DeleteThank you for your response. I agree; the situation is difficult, but teachers must be persistent in reaching students. That is the person we see every day. We must let our students know they can still succeed even if their parents are not invested in their education. We can acknowledge their challenges without judging their parents. Life is not fair; students only have to rise up to the challenge. They can do it if they have someone who believes in them.