Taking Responsibility for Your Child's Educaton

I teach at a local head-start program where the first two days, the child is brought to school and picked up. No buses run. The idea is for at least the first day the parent is involved in their child's education. For a few that will be the only time I will see or speak with a parent or family member unless I summon them for a conference or to fill out paper work. Even then it is a struggle to get the actual parent or guardian rather than some designated name on their emergency contact list. There are parents who feel education is solely the responsibility of the school. While educators do assume the the greater bulk of the responsibility it is a team effort between the child, parents and teacher. Where there is no team effort there is a child struggling in the classroom.

It starts the first day of school. I can tell who will struggle this year and who will adjust to school quickly. Parents who come in to meet and greet with the teachers are often my most cooperative parents. I can call them with anything from little Johnny drawing is A's upside down to discipline problems and they will do what ever it takes to correct the problem. The ones who drop their baby off in a strange classroom without so much as a hello, I know that even if this child is ill or injured I am going to have some problems getting in touch with them.