There was no required class called, “Parent Involvement” during my teacher credentialing and graduate program at Harvard. No where in my teacher certification for both Massachusetts and California was I required to prove I could work with parents or community. Yet, I entered the classroom, with my credential, at 24, a mere 8 years older than the students, and expected I would be able to garner their parents’ support when needed.Translation: when there was a behavior issue, and I needed Mommy and Daddy to discipline their kid. Curriculum input? No. Feedback about how I was (or wasn’t) teaching the subject matter? NO WAY. Sit in on the class and help further the subject matter discussion? NOT IN A MILLION LIGHT YEARS.
Imagine my surprise the first time I called a parent, identified myself, and the mom’s first response was, “What did he do this time?” with a sigh of resignation. I explained the behavior issue, which to her credit, she silently waited for me to finish. Then, she said, “I have no idea what to do. What do you suggest?” (Now, apparently this was effective with veteran teachers, perhaps his football coach. For this novice, straight out of graduate school, green, GREEN, greener than green teacher, she may as well have asked me to explain how to send a man to the moon and keep my explanation in Russian.) I had no idea. She was kind enough to start and stop through a series of conversations the entire school year and we cobbled together a plan and her son eventually came on board in his 15 year old teenage angst kind of way–we made it through the school year.
That parent and son taught me about being a better teacher, by helping expand my thinking. Our perspective informs our learning and teaching. Without being open to challenging our own views, how can we be effective in education–both parent and teacher?
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Jill Yoshikawa, Ed M, is a University of California and Harvard trained educator and Partner at Creative Marbles Consultancy. You can contact Jill at [email protected] or, read her short biography.
