PERIOD 3 – PARENTS´ ROLE

  1. HOW DID YOU EXPERIENCE DEMOCRACY?

Some think that the timetable 9-2 is best for involving parents. Because they don’t all work the whole day, there are opportunities for parents to be involved. Use parents´ knowledge to teach traditional games, work in PE activities, and share their knowledge and talents and careers. Involve parents in special education. Let parents come up with ideas of ways for them to be involved. Parents can choose if they want to take part in parents association. Parents said that they feel the opinions of parents are important and are taken into consideration at this school. Parents said they had an open relationship with the school and the teachers and with each other. The parents and the teachers work together. Parents want to help and are allowed to help. Parents can choose to bring their kids to this school, and can decide if they like the separated afternoon schedule or not. Many parents in the community choose this school because of the nature of the school and relationship with parents.

  1. HOW DID YOU EXPERIENCE LITERACY?

There are extracurricular courses to promote digital literacy for the kids. Parents do book day and festivals and reading club, activities promoting literacy for the kids.

*Idea-have parents come in and read books with the kids during class.

  1. WHAT CAUGHT YOUR ATTENTION REGARDING THE TEACHER´S ROLE?

Teachers have difficulty involving parents in the classroom or with take-home activities sent home with the children. Teachers and parents work together planning festivities. Teachers and parents have closer relationship because of the openness of the culture here. It´s the parents´ job to take care of the children, it´s the teacher´s job only to do what they can for the student at school, the rest of the responsibility is the parents´.

  1. WHAT CAUGHT YOUR ATTENTION REGARDING THE CHILDREN´S ROLE?

The parents do things for the children, not for the school – the children motivate the parents to be involved. Parents are happy about children´s role in school, parents respect teachers. Parents are happy that the children are in small classes and small groups and with mixed ages in the classroom.

  1. IS THERE A PARENT´S INTERVENTION NEEDED?

Yes

  1. HOW COULD PARENTS BE INVOLVED (OR MORE INVOLVED IF THEY ALREADY ARE)?

Need to improve communication between parents and school, and between parents. Parents from different villages are not integrated together very well. Parents do feel they can make a better experience/environment for students by working together as parents and participating in the school. Parents see it as their responsibility to plan festival and holiday activities.

*Idea-Collaborative projects or activities between villages, for example a joint activity between Herce and Préjano, or between Arnedillo and Enciso.