| Author | Message | ||
     Ejt |
Thanks Teach. | ||
| Deadwhitemale |
eb: I am wondering about the powers that be, not you. DWM | ||
| Lisat |
Jem, I was told before stepping foot into one of the elementary schools here, that the principal didn't like volunteers anywhere but proscribed areas/library/bake sales, etc. On the second day of school last year, my husband and I offered to the K teacher that one of us would do anything the teacher wanted (paperwork, bulletin boards, anything) for one day a week every week. She said she didn't need us. My aunt who taught g&t in North Caldwell for 25 years said many teachers don't want parents in the classroom. They feel the parents are spying on them. Trying to catch them doing something wrong, etc. (She made it clear to me that she certainly didn't want them in her classroom.) I offered to volunteer in the classroom for my son's current teacher. She didn't respond to the note. Years and years ago when I was 25 years old and living in NYC I ran a great books program in a public elementary school. Before that when I was in high school, part of my school work was to work in elementary school classrooms with children who needed extra help. My friends with kids in the city volunteer once every 2 weeks for a couple of hours listening to kids read in their children's classes. My sister in Maine goes into her son's class once every 2 weeks and does the same. Other friends in other states are in the schools every day. When we looked at public schools in NYC for our son, some of the schools had a room just for the parent volunteers! They were really welcome. And they were full of parents waiting for a teacher to say, 'hey, I need you to do this for me." My son's teacher has invited me in to explain what I do (I'm a writer). I did it last year for his class and for a bunch of other classes. I volunteer on a regular basis doing other things in the school. But I'm extremely disappointed that I'm not in the classroom. Picked the wrong school district, I guess. I really would do whatever the teacher asked. I'm sure I could be of service to her as I've been to others before I had children. I am extraordinarily patient with children who need extra attention. And it would be nice to have a sense of what my child's day is really like. Yes, I could be a class parent. But it would be tricky since I work. I wanted to schedule a time slot for volunteering regularly. I'm still researching SB because I like much of what I hear, including their welcome acceptance of parents. I will check during March to see if the parents I spoke to in September are still happy. I have a couple of concerns. But would like to say that the administration there and Marilyn Davenport were wonderful when we met them and said all the right things, in my opinion. Ah well, we're also thinking very seriously about private school. We're lining up grandparents and asking them to pay for part of it. (A study a few years ago found that a surprisingly large percentage of private school tuition is paid in part or in full by grandparents.) One or both of our children may go. And as I've mentioned on another thread, if that happens, I probably won't be able to afford to volunteer. But at 1 teacher and 1 teacher's aide per 10-12 children, I'll know that every child is getting lots of attention. And maybe when I retire I'll volunteer at SB even if my kids never went there, just because they'll let me. | ||
| Lisat |
Jem, I was told before stepping foot into one of the elementary schools here, that the principal didn't like volunteers anywhere but proscribed areas/library/bake sales, etc. On the second day of school last year, my husband and I offered to the K teacher that one of us would do anything the teacher wanted (paperwork, bulletin boards, anything) for one day a week every week. She said she didn't need us. My aunt who taught g&t in North Caldwell for 25 years said many teachers don't want parents in the classroom. They feel the parents are spying on them. Trying to catch them doing something wrong, etc. (She made it clear to me that she certainly didn't want them in her classroom.) I offered to volunteer in the classroom for my son's current teacher. She didn't respond to the note. Years and years ago when I was 25 years old and living in NYC I ran a great books program in a public elementary school. Before that when I was in high school, part of my school work was to work in elementary school classrooms with children who needed extra help. My friends with kids in the city volunteer once every 2 weeks for a couple of hours listening to kids read in their children's classes. My sister in Maine goes into her son's class once every 2 weeks and does the same. Other friends in other states are in the schools every day. When we looked at public schools in NYC for our son, some of the schools had a room just for the parent volunteers! They were really welcome. And they were full of parents waiting for a teacher to say, 'hey, I need you to do this for me." My son's teacher has invited me in to explain what I do (I'm a writer). I did it last year for his class and for a bunch of other classes. I volunteer on a regular basis doing other things in the school. But I'm extremely disappointed that I'm not in the classroom. Picked the wrong school district, I guess. I really would do whatever the teacher asked. I'm sure I could be of service to her as I've been to others before I had children. I am extraordinarily patient with children who need extra attention. And it would be nice to have a sense of what my child's day is really like. Yes, I could be a class parent. But it would be tricky since I work. I wanted to schedule a time slot for volunteering regularly. I'm still researching SB because I like much of what I hear, including their welcome acceptance of parents. I will check during March to see if the parents I spoke to in September are still happy. I have a couple of concerns. But would like to say that the administration there and Marilyn Davenport were wonderful when we met them and said all the right things, in my opinion. Ah well, we're also thinking very seriously about private school. We're lining up grandparents and asking them to pay for part of it. (A study a few years ago found that a surprisingly large percentage of private school tuition is paid in part or in full by grandparents.) One or both of our children may go. And as I've mentioned on another thread, if that happens, I probably won't be able to afford to volunteer. But at 1 teacher and 1 teacher's aide per 10-12 children, I'll know that every child is getting lots of attention. And maybe when I retire I'll volunteer at SB even if my kids never went there, just because they'll let me. | ||
| Lisat |
Sorry about the double posting. | ||
| Jem |
botched edit. see post below | ||
| Jem |
LisaT, My question is still: Did you discuss the issue of being unwelcome as a volunteer with anyone on the school's PTA? Since it's the principal and teachers who aren't welcoming to the concept of parent volunteers, if I were you, I would try to discuss the issue among other parents, especially the PTA president at your child's school, and then insist on the issue going to the district (presidents' council) level if the answer from the principal is still unsatisfactory. Don't give up at this point. | ||
| Lisat |
Thanks, Jem. I'll ask the PTA about it and see what their response is. And I remember that my aunt, who's in her 90's, taught somewhere else (several places) over a period of 40 years. Maybe I need some ginkoba. Also, I do have a couple of friends in this district (at another school and not SB) here that volunteer in their children's classroom on a regular basis. Everyone tell me it depends on the teacher. | ||
| Alidah |
I'd like to hear a teacher's perspective and experience on why they wouldn't want a parent in the classroom. My daughter is in a preschool coop and I am in the classroom on a regular basis. Sometimes I wish I weren't! And I did come to a lot of unfair conclusions about the teacher that I now know were wrong. Any teachers out there with feedback? | ||
| Nakaille |
Alidah, were the "unfair conclusions about the teacher" from before you were in the classroom or during? Could you describe it more? It might help us understand why teachers might not want parents in the classroom. One reason I can think of from my experience with my daughter in preschool is that when I am around, my presence is very distracting for her. She pays less attention generally and is less inclined to rely on the teacher's authority. So I end up encouraging her to listen or pay attention, etc which ends up being distracting for the other kids as well. Then they want to "get in her business" and tell her what to do also. Then she gets huffy and we have a bad cycle going on. Bacata | ||
| Sac |
If what Lisa T is describing is true, then there is a problem. However, don't rule out the library too quickly. I found that it's a great place to start and you can definitely volunteer for the day your child goes to the library and perhaps branch out from there. You will actually see the teacher with the kids (at least for part of the time) and may find that he/she speaks to you briefly about what's going on with your child, etc., since they are not "on task" with the children at that moment. I've certainly had that experience. I find that kind of helping quite satisfying, and after I'd been doing it for awhile it seemed to lead to other volunteer ops in/near the classroom. | ||
| Alidah |
Nakaille: The conclusions I came to were based on my observations in the classroom at the beginning of the year. I had told her I was concerned about something, and she told me not to worry, that the kids would work it out. I thought that was ridiculous, and was angry because I thought she was dodging her responsibility. Needless to say, I shared my feelings with others...and now I have to recant, because she was right! She just handled it better than I would have. Luckily for all of us I didn't share my thoughts with the director. But I'm sure that in the same situation plenty of parents would have. About volunteer ops: I know a parent who volunteers in the science class at Tuscan, and another parent who schedules a helper for the art teacher at Marshall. | ||
| Nakaille |
Thanks for the explanation, Alidah. Makes sense. Isn't it nice to know the professionals know what they're doing, esp. when your kid is involved? She sounds experienced, mature, and wise. Nice combo. Bacata | ||
| Spw784 |
Nakaille: You are right on target with the "mommy's in the classroom, child gets distracted" theory. Even when the moms are in the classroom helping with holiday celebrations, or special projects (plays, etc), their children often want more attention because mom is there, or the child isn't as "on task", because they keep sneaking peeks at mom. Also, as I've mentioned on the board before, confidentiality issues may come into play. Some parents may not know what events or occurences do not need to leave the classroom, and may inform others what they hear and see. Every little thing does not need to be brought home to be shared or dealt with. Sac: You are also right re : library volunteers. Many of the schools need more volunteers, because volunteers sign up and never show up, or keep canceling, when the librarian was counting on the help. | ||
| Mim |
Just to offset some of these 'teachers don't like parent volunteer' posts, I would like to state that in the 3 1/2 years we've had a child at Clinton, parent volunteers have been welcomed with open arms in every classroom! The new principal seems especially enthusiastic about such parent involvement. | ||
| Teach66 |
Back to "Open Court". The "2000 Edition" requires a Kindergarten teacher to have students recognize around 60 sight words by the end of the year. It's a bit aggressive and will be interesting to see if the Kindergarteners and the teachers are up to the task. What system is the Maplewood/South Orange district using? | ||
| Nan |
Teach66, Open Court has been criticized for its overly accelerated program (in addition to the phony success statistics already mentioned in previous post). See this link http://www.4j.lane.edu/libraryservices/adopted/langarts/esra.html for an in-depth evaluation of the program by a school district in Eugene, Oregon. I am not sure what the Maplewood/South Orange school system calls their curriculum (except at Multiple Intelligence schools), but it is not an "out of the box," one-size-fits-all curriculum like Open Court. It seems from all I have read on this board (I will probably know more next year when my child starts school) that it is some variation on "differentiated instruction" which is the only practical approach for a system as diverse as ours. Here is one (of many) link to some information on differentiated instruction: http://www.ascd.org/handbook/demo/ctq/8spr00.html The Multiple Intelligence curriculum is an approach that fits within the same model. | ||
| Teach66 |
Boy, I love the "interpretations" on this board. I didn't think the Eugene, Oregon review was all that bad... | ||
| Nan |
Teach66, I am not trying to trash the program, only respond to your post which states: "It's a bit aggressive and will be interesting to see if the Kindergarteners and the teachers are up to the task." From the Eugene evaluation of the program, one of the things we learn is that "This series is good for regular and accelerated readers, but not for at risk, Title I and Learning Center students." So, depending on which Kindergarteners you are speaking of you can decide the answer to your question. My main complaint (and I have several) about Open Court is that it is not suitable for a hetrogenous group. So, what is your beef with my "interpretation"? | ||
| Teach66 |
That's a lot better. Personally, I didn't think the evaluation was all that critical nor did I think it validated "phony success statistics". Yes, I think the program is aggressive but I don't think that's necessarily bad for our "hetrogenous" group. But I'm not sure - that's why I said it will be interesting to see. The old Open Court program was used successfully for many(25+)years. The 2000 edition is the more aggressive program. We wont see the real proof for a few years yet. I've spoken to someone over at Our Lady of Sorrows School. They have used it for many years (successfully!) and are using the new edition. Our Lady of Sorrows has as "hetrogenous" group as any. There are students there from all over (Maplewood, South Orange, Union, Irvington, Newark, Orange, West Orange) some who are from inner-city type areas, students who should be classified, and students who receive special services as well as students who are "high achievers". Again, like I said, it will be interesting to see. |
