As I travel around Lee county speaking with parents of students attending one of the 46 public schools, I have come to the following understanding:
If Latinos are to ascend from the depths of poverty, parents will need to make a bigger investment in their children's education by understanding and committing themselves to full educational involvement.
Studies have consistently shown that high achieving students come from families who offer their children opportunities for learning at home. Be it from reading a article on the internet, from reading a book together, by performing simple math problems with them, to asking the child about what they learned in school that day could be the spark that ignites the students learning interest. Children need to feel that their parents are not just by standers in their educational voyage, they want their parents along for the ride.
How enlightening would it be for a second greater who is learning how to add to have dad count the number of asparagus stems he is putting in their meal. Or how many pieces of oranges he is cutting for each member of the family. When kids participate in learning experiences with their parents, the become involved in ways that are fun and create lasting memories. Even the simple act of taking a story from a magazine and relating it to a particular subject the child needs help in, is a significant step in teaching the student that sometimes you must think outside of normal channels to get the answer to a problem. One of the teachers I employ as an after school tutor likes to cut out stories from news papers and magazines to create math problems. Most recently I witnessed her use a story on Brittney Spears latest hit song and turn it into a lesson about subtraction. The tutor simply asked the student if Brittney sold 10 songs per day on Itunes for two weeks but then had to refund 15 songs, how many songs did she sell as a total.
I was surprised by the enthusiasm and motivation the child showed in wanting to figure out this problem as the student learning history indicated a lack of interest in math. I suspect that if parents did the same at home and used problems featuring Lebron James, Payton Manning, Miley Cirus or Justin Beaver that student interest might turn out different results..
Some parents complain that their their responsibilities throughout the day such as work prevents them from spending time with their children. How else can I stay involved in his/her education?
Pat Dingsdale, former chair of the commission on education for the National PTA, based in Chicago thinks that there is always something that you can do. She explained that it's worth the effort as study after study continue to show that kids with involved parents do best in school.
Here are some ideas for busy parents from the National PTA:
*Ask your child to tape-record some impressions of their day soon after he/she gets home from school (before they forgets them!). When you return from work, listen to the tape and then use it as a springboard for conversations about school.
*Set aside the time after supper for school talk. Ask your child about his favorite classes. Have him show you any papers he's written or artwork he's done so you can discuss and admire his efforts. And, of course, don't forget to check his homework.
*Let your child's teacher know about your time schedule, talents and interests, and desire to help out. Even little things, such as handling the class's book-club orders or cutting out hearts for a Valentine's Day project, will make a difference and be valued.
*Spend about 10 minutes talking to your child's teacher by telephone every few weeks so you can stay up- to-date on his progress.
When you follow-up on your child's learning experience, you will be setting up the expectation in your child that education is important and what they do matters to you. When you asked them questions, you are reinforcing good habits in your child as they will want to impress you with their knowledge in class. I'm always reminded of the quote from James Baldwin "kids have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never stopped imitating them.
So remember, it is the responsibility of the teacher and school system to educate your student, however, it is your responsibility to ensure that he/she understands how important education is to you and to them, and to reinforce that commitment by consistently involving yourself in their learning experience.
Larry Aguilar
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