Thursday, February 21, 2008
Workshop to involve parents in kids' lives
Shanna Flowers
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Ask any teacher, and she or he will tell you there are a few loser parents out there.
These mothers and fathers don't seem to care that their little darling can't read and is the terror of the classroom.
But thank goodness the overwhelming majority of parents want their children to be successful in school; some just don't know how to help.
That's why we all should be encouraged by a spring workshop Roanoke City Public Schools is planning called Parent University. The aim of the program is to teach parents to help their children succeed in school.
One of the goals of Superintendent Rita Bishop has been to improve parental involvement.
School officials are inviting parents to a four-hour session at Patrick Henry High School on April 12. School officials will provide bus transportation from the city's other schools to the high school for the workshop. Lunch will be served, and child care will be available for children ages 4 to 10.
As a community, we should support this effort and support the parents. As I have recently learned firsthand, parents value education because they know it is their child's ticket to a productive life.
Whether or not young people go to college, a strong educational foundation opens doors to them and gives them options about what they want to do with their lives.
Parents want their children to succeed, but some don't have a clue how to involve themselves in a child's academic journey. Some may work multiple jobs and aren't as engaged as they should be. Others who may have been poor students themselves might be too intimidated to approach their child's teachers.
Others just don't know where to go for help if their child is having a problem.
So anything the schools are doing to get the buy-in of parents in their child's education is worth applause. Parents should take advantage of it.
The program is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. According to schools spokeswoman Tiffany Woods, parents will hear from Bishop and school board Chairman David Carson.
After the initial welcome, parents will attend a session of their choosing for the next hour.
As many as eight to 10 sessions will be available and will include working with elementary youngsters on reading, preparing students for the Standards of Learning exams and helping high school seniors apply for college.
Lunch will be served, and then parents can sit in on another session. The workshop will have display tables available to parents seeking other school and community resources.
No one asked my two cents, but I strongly suggest school officials have a table available for the adult education program.
Some parents have academic shortcomings of their own. Encouraging them to try to get more involved in their child's education might encourage them to resume their own work toward a high school diploma.
Let's be honest, some parents have abdicated their parental responsibilities. As a community, we can't just give up on their children. Guardians, mentors or whoever has a hand in the child's life should plan on attending the workshop.
