|
As a father of two children, ages six and five,
it often seems like my life began little more
than six years ago. My wife and I, like many parents,
have decided to put our children first in our
lives. Devoting ourselves, as our parents did,
to ensuring that our kids are ready for life outside
the nest, when that time comes. This involves
many areas, some easy to manage, some more difficult,
but tantamount through it all is our focus on
the education our kids receive.
Homework comes before TV or computer games. Strengths
are celebrated vigorously and weaknesses are treated
as challenges to be overcome. Our home is full
of learning tools, educational games and books,
books, books. We have, hopefully, created an environment
that promotes a love of learning.
And then, we put them on the bus.
Not content to simply hope for the best, we have
sought out the opportunities available to us to
be involved in the school life of our kids. Granted,
my children are in kindergarten and first grade,
where parental involvement is encouraged as a
necessary part of the transition from sheltered
home life to social interaction with new authority
figures. This happy fact has provided our family
the good fortune of getting to know many of the
educators in this school, and I can honestly say
that we are confident in their abilities to expand
the young minds in their care every day. The teachers
our children have make sure we feel welcome, and
acknowledge the role that we play in their hearts
and minds. I have never had a question sidestepped,
nor have I experienced anything but an open and
honest assessment of any situation that I have
felt important enough to discuss. The teachers
and staff of KPS are truly professionals, and
have put to rest the natural worries and insecurities
that we, as parents of young children, harbored
that first time the bus stopped at the corner
of our street.
On those occasions when I have the opportunity
to be in the classroom, I am afforded a sense
of how much my kids have grown, as they demonstrate
a capability that I hadn't known they yet possessed,
or achieve some mastery of a task they hadn't
learned from me. It fills me with pride to see
it, because I know that, in their minds, this
new skill belongs solely to them. It's theirs,
because they learned it in school. My role in
their lives is not diminished by this, but simply
changed to suit the surroundings. It goes from
omnipotent caregiver to Julianna's Dad, videotaping
the painting of paper plates. Underneath it, though,
is the understanding that my involvement brings
value to the students, and that comes only from
a teacher confident in their own abilities. The
kids can sense it, and, in my experiences at KPS,
it seems to be a natural occurrence.
But, just as at home, boundaries are important.
When they are in the classroom, it is important
for kids to know that, even though Mom or Dad
is there for the party, the teacher is still in
charge, and when he or she delivers an instruction,
it is to be followed. To circumvent that authority
would serve only a parent's ego, and is, at best,
a point of confusion for a child. A teacher strong
in their ability to be in charge makes light work
of such situations by assigning tasks to parents
that contribute to the success of the event. The
educators of KPS handle this with aplomb, making
it clear that to be a value-add means allowing
them to do that which they have been trained to
do...teach your children.
It can be difficult to see my children learn
something that I couldn't have taught them, or
to see them look up to someone other than me,
but to try to restrain them from those growth
experiences by riding shotgun with them every
day does no more than delay the inevitable. We
are supposed to be preparing them for life without
us, as hard as that seems. I often have to step
back and ask myself if what I am doing is for
them, or simply to protect me from the feeling
that they will someday be out on their own without
needing me there every minute.
As my children progress to higher grades, what
is expected of them in terms of workload and knowledge
retained will grow, but the day doesn't get any
longer. They must absorb more and more during
the course of a school day. Their teachers will
have more to teach them in order to prepare them
for middle school. So, as their life changes,
we, as parents must change, too. Teachers have
to teach, and the way to help them may not always
include passing out paper cups or stuffing backpacks.
Committees and parent/teacher groups involved
in projects that contribute to the student body
as a whole become the way to stay connected and
"in the loop" when it comes to my kids' education.
Involvement in these groups also provides the
necessary benefit of allowing school administrators
the opportunity to know who is coming and going
in the hallways.
Again, the staff and administrators of KPS have
welcomed my inclusion into these groups, encouraging
me to make suggestions, voice opinions and lend
a hand when it's needed. Even though it's been
a few years since I sat at a desk facing a blackboard,
I still get the same feeling when a teacher takes
the time to tell me that what I have done is appreciated,
and has contributed in a valuable way to what
they are doing every day.
So, if you happen to be at KPS and you see some
guy standing behind a video camera, drawing washable
tattoos on kids during an event or hauling watermelons
outside for Field Day, you can be sure that there
is a place for parents in our school. There are
quite a few of us around. Feel free to stop and
say, "Hi". And maybe carry a few watermelons...these
things are heavy.
|
