Kylies Speech

The parent-child bond is the most important relationship the child has (Santrock. J.W. 1999). A parents influence on a child is important for three reasons. These being: The parents spends the most time with the child, parents help the child identify who they are through modelling and they provide a secure environment for the development of the child. The role of the parent is to be nurturing, caring, supportive and loving to their child. Parents want to be able to assist their children in being successful and never want to see their child failing.

The break down in partnerships for parents in schools comes when they do not have the skills to help their child through lack of education or technological advances, time restrictions and feeling unwelcome in the classroom. Looking at this from a positive approach “Teachers who involve parents in their class activities will find that they have increased parent support at home, because parents have a deeper understanding of what their children are experiencing in the classroom”(Sharp. A. 2008).

Parents believe that positive partnerships make them feel accepted and worthy of being a part of the academic lives of their children. A positive partnership is one where there are two way communications and where parents and teachers feel free to express their opinions. Parents wish to stay in contact with their child’s teacher. The content of the communication needs to be clear and in terms parents are able to understand, relate to and respond to. “Communication between parents should show genuine interest in them and their child. Parents need to be shown respect, listened to and the teachers thoughts should be conveyed clearly.” (Tenbrink. T.D. 2006).

There are numerous strategies which schools can utilise to assist with the integral bond between school and home. Some of these strategies are to have a space where parents feel comfortable, have events that they can be involved in, such as open nights and Parents and Friends Associations. Schools also need to show understanding of the many other factors that impact on parent’s lives (Nelson, C. 1996). Schools can support the integral bond between home and school by providing educational workshops and communicating through more effective mediums therefore making parents feel more accepted. Through maintaining the strong partnership parents are more able to understand the curriculum and what their children are learning. In turn this helps parents feel more adequate in being able to support their child with homework and other educational needs inside and outside the classroom.

References:

 Tenbrink. T.D.( 2006). Classroom Teaching Skills. Wadsworth Cengage Learning USA

Nelson, C. (1996). Website Page authored by Carla Nelson January 22, 1996.URL: http://www.hps.com/carla/dlpproj.htm New, R.S. (1994). Reggio Emilia: Some lessons for U.S. Educators. ERIC Digests. ERIC Document Service No. EDOPS933.

Santrock, J. W. (1999). Life-Span Development (7th Edition). Dallas: University of Texas

Sharp. A. (2008). Parent Involvement in the Classroom. Retrieved from: http://educationalissues.suite101.com/article.cfm/parent_involvement_in_the_classroom: on 2/08/2010.