Parental involvement.. What does it mean to you?

[SimpleAsABC]

Doing a bit of homework, almost finished my degree now and can't help but ask.

What does parental involvement mean to you?

How are you involved in your child's curriculum and learning?

What are barriers to parental involvement?

I'm quite a regular poster, although not on this board, and was just wondering if you wonderful mnetters would come up with anything I don't have?

I'd really really appreciate any help, advice or other questions you think I should consider!

P.S. I thought putting it here would be relevant but also think further ed might be. So i'll put it here but my apologies if you think it should be there. I genuinely wasn't sure!

For little ones for me, it means listening to them read and making sure they are able to do their homework and take to school the things they need. It also means attending their performances, and as they get older, their matches. It means supporting the school when they put on information evening, and going to events organised by the PTA.

I don't get involved in my children's academic work, unless they beg me to.

Barriers to parental involvement are those issues associated with being a working parent, poor communication from the school (including letters that languish in the bottom of backpacks), cliqueness, clashes with other family commitments, tiredness, money (in the case of the summer ball).

Scienceteacher and riven, thanks so much. How do you think the barriers you've identified could be overcome?

For me it's all about doing everything requested as a parent by the school to help my child(ren) feel involved, included, proud, etc.

It's about taking an interest in what they are covering at school and building on it where possible with activities at home e.g. visits to castles, the library, nature walks.

It's also about helping them develop their own personal organisation as they get older, making sure that they have what they need (kit, instruments, cheques, costumes) and making sure they complete their homework in time and to a satisfactory standadr or better.

As well as the barriers ST lists I think there are also parental ATTITUDINAL barriers to parental involvement. Some parents seem to 'gang up' with their children against the school, treating it as some sort of evil institution.

you only have to read some of the threads on here bashing PTAs, or complaining about homework, or school meals, or reading schemes etc etc.

I'm heavily involved in my childen's curricuum and learning, but that is because I want and choose to be. I make it a priority over other things (as well as fitting in work and caring for an elderly relative). I'm aware that not everyone shares the same values though. I think your own attitudes may be shaped very much by your parents attitudes and involvement - mine were also heavily involved with my schools.

I work FT and I find a weekly letter from the class teacher is a great help - just talking about what they have been doing/ will do next. This lets me ask specific questions about what has been going on, or reference things in conversation.

If I say "what did you do at school today darling?" they can't remember. If I say "did do see the chick's eggs outside the year one class room?" I get all sorts of chat.

It also means answering school letters and filling in forms on time (so speaks an ex teacher)

When they were younger it meant scrabbling through the dressing up box for endless costumes for Victorian day, red nose day, book day, dressing up for no reason day etc.

Now it means supplying ds with yet another school bag/geometry kit/ PE socks etc that he has lost AGAIN.

parental involvement for me means

reading/homework - making sure they get done
returning slips back on time
supporting PTA
attending parents evenings

barriers

communication -school website is hideously outdated/not updated. reflects badly and doens't even have term dates on it. another time I wasn't told that a workshop had been cancelled due to low numbers but I showed up having organised childcare for 2 younger dds

not being able to attend things when they are held during the day - I work p/t and can't always attend and also sometimes have younger children in tow

I have been involved quite heavily as chair of PTA, and a regular helper at school in the classroom and on school trips etc.

I would say that as well as all the obvious benefits for the parent - getting more of an idea what your child is doing, gaining a better understanding so you can help them or back off as required there are other benefits - like your child may really like you helping in class and therefore settle in school better.

a big benefit for me was gaining confidence through chairing PTA - and then having the confidence to apply for a job and go back to education. I got a fantastic reference from the classroom teacher for the job too.

barriers to involvement - time...now I am working I have far less time to get involved.

I am just writing an assignment for my course which is partially about parental involvement in preschool. I assume you will be using the quote about parents being the first and most enduring educators of their children? (Vygotsky I think) EYFS uses it a lot.

What mine need - help with homework and projects. Attendance at concerts, festivals, readins, matches. Our School has a lot going on during the day, midwweek. I live very close and my work is flexible so I can attend most. DH can't get back for them which is a shame. Time is our giggest lay out ( after school fees).
Plus there's a lot of social stuff...discos, balls, fairs which costs a lot.

For dp and I parental involvement means:
Asking what dp is doing at school and then doing things to support them. ( dd is 7) Recently she was learning about Florence Nightingale, we went to the museum, I borrowed some books from the library and some things from the school I teach in and she made a little book about Florence NIghtingale. DD gets a little booklet saying what she will be doing each term, we try and arrange outings or activities to coincide with that. I sometimes let dd bring in things from home or my classroom. Making costumes seems to be quite regular as well

I have been a parent governer in a previous school and will do again here, I have always been on PTAs etc.

Dp goes in to help on certain days. We always go to parents evening, an issue came up recently about dd falling out with friends and dp, her dad and I spent a lot of time addressing it. If dd gets a prize at school or a reward we reward it as well.

We pursue things she is interested in, she loves history so we are members of the local museum and attend their family club. She loves science and nature , we do lots of walking, she loves making things with dp. She is also a whizz with numbers and spends ages doing number puzzles with dp. She is also into her music and drama, so she has private lessons , goes to dance classes and a drama club.

Helping with homework, reading and ensuring dd does not watch much tv so she has time to read and pursue interests.

Parental involvement is very important to me, I think that my input is as crucial as the teachers, if not more so. I also like to know what she has been up to all day. Dds teachers are always saying that we are lucky to have a well motivated clever child, I dont think it is luck we put a lot of time into it.

DD knows that both dp and I value education and will always support her teachers.

Barriers-
Time for me as I have a long and tiring work day and sometime find it had to have the energy or time to sit with dd every evening and do thing. Fortunately dp works from home and organises his time totally around dd so he can go into school to support them and do things wit dd that I cant do.
Cliqueness- I am a WOHM and do find some of the mums quite intimidating, although they all seem to know dp. I rarely go to a school event without him though.
Website is not updated very often and I would like to know more about what is going on.

parental involvement to me = lip service

My ds' school is a very good one, very nice teachers; however the parental involvement in his actual education is kept very much at arms length

If I wanted to bake a cake or man a stall I would be welcomed with open arms

However if I want a copy of my son's IEP, or even worse - to be involved in writing that IEP or to give an opinion on my son's education, I am not going to get it.

Though I am his mother and may be said to know him and his needs far better than a teacher who spends perhaps 30 minutes a week alone with my son, there is no place for my views to be included

I would be more involved if I had more info

I get dribs & drabs - eg DD in yr6, & yr 2 did a dance project - if I had know, I could have offered DH (dance teacher) to help out - but I didn't find out until it was finished

Website has no info on it

DD misses out on letters when she is ill so doesn't go on trips - these could all be put on the website & accessed when necessary - with highlights of the school week/term

To me it means

Suggesting/reminding they do their homework
Supply library trips for books to help/assist them with homework or projects
Encourage to attend homework club at lunch time if they do not understand homework
If they are not understanding homework, helping the child to find help at school and also helping at home - without actually doing the homework

It would be good if this was a two way street with teacher involvment aswell - especially with email contact.

For us it's primarily being interested in what they are doing. We do make sure ds (7) has done his homework, but we don't really help him. For his project we'll take him to see some Roman stuff. For dd we listen to her read. I'm not massively interested in their curriculum as such. I am interested in what they tell me, and how they talk about it.

Given my rather laissez faire approach, there aren't many barriers to my preferred level of participation. We both work full time and can't help out, but TBH I don't think we would even if we didn't because it isn't somethink we'd enjoy

DH is on the PTA, but that isn't really a curriculum and learning involvement. More a social and fundraising one.

something

I forgot about something I have to do - DS1 has just given me a rare letter - in the Easter holidays, I have to take DS out to do his GCSE Geography field work. This means trudging across muddy fields, getting into rivers to help him take measurements - all the while being diplomatic and trying to make out that he is in charge of the show. (I did the same two years ago with DS1 so I know what is coming - and then it was the most glorious Good Friday, the weather (and the whole day) can only be worse).

My DS has only just started preschool, so can't talk about this from a parent's point of view, but as a child, I definitely felt that by secondary age there was such a thing as too much parental involvement. My parents' attempts to help sometimes left me feeling I hadn't really done the work myself. And my mother was very reluctant to let me do Ancient Greek because she didn't know any and was worried she wouldn't be able to help me. (I did it anyway, and it was liberating to have that all to myself with no-one trying to take over)

Don't know if you can use this random nugget at all...

That is true dedication scienceteacher

My DD is still only in infants, so I suspect this will change as she gets older...

But for me it is the usual of doing the homework, reading, key words etc... but I also try to support her classwork in discussions and outside activities too.

For example, each week she gets some homework - one week they were learning about coins and the homework was to play shops with them. So I did this, but also took her to a real shop, gave her some pocket money to buy things and we also went to the bank that week to bank her pocket money. That sort of thing. Another week, the homework was weighing and we had a choice of doing some cooking with our children or weighing foods in a shop. So we did both. In addition, we also weighed things around the home and made piles of light and heavy things etc. In my DDs playroom, she has also got lots of books (fiction and non fiction), a globe and computer and desk. So when they were learning about France, we found it on her globe, looked up some images on the internet and so on...

Education is very important to me as I am a teacher, so I think she has got very little choice in my involvement in that sense.

The main barriers to me are...

1. Time - I work part time, so homework really has to be done at the weekends. If something can't be done then, then it is unlikely to get done tbh.

1. Knowledge - even though I am a teacher myself (secondary though), sometimes I don't know the modern way of doing things - and it takes time to find out how it is done. For example, I was told to help my DD do taking away using a number line. I didn't have a clue what a number line is - so I had to go away and find that out before I could help her.All this takes time, and I largely know where to look and what she should be doing!

Parental involvement to me means being interested in what they are doing.

Also being generally interested in what goes on in the world, talking to them about what you read, think, hear around you. Listening to their viewpoint. Showing them that you are interested in learning more. Providing books, even if it's from the library or the charity shop.

Sitting down and helping with homework at infants; and being there if they need you at higher stages.

At the same time, not getting too closely involved in the nitty gritty of the curriculum; they need some independence too.

Barriers to me have been chronic health problems/disability for both my children, and an unsympathetic headteacher who only ever saw problems with dd's disability, and never gave her any credit for struggling through the school day when she was in pain and still getting good marks. She was just an inconvenience to him. She is now at a different school and the whole experience is totally different. She is a success story that they pride themselves on. Makes a difference to a child.

"What are barriers to parental involvement?"

To echo what slowreading, KatyMac and Cory have said, quite often it is the school and / or teachers who are the barrier. It annoys me when teachers moan about lack of funding and resources yet refuse to use the wealth of parental involvement. They are especially guilty at secondary level.

I really have to apologise, I started this thread and forgot to come back to it!

Haven't read all of your replies yet, but I will and it looks like there is some factors I hadn't considered.

No doubt I'll be back to ask more.

Thanks everybody - I really appreciate your help.

Panda G, I know the quote you mean.. But I can't find it anywhere. Have tried various EYFS docs to see if it'd appear and quite a few Vygotsky things online. Any ideas?