Parent Perspective

I wish I could here from more parents about their impressions of their childrens schooling! What a wonderfully insightful forum to have been a part of. For the most part I found the parents perspective to be relatively congruent with what I would have thought them to feel about school. The idea that grades are an indication of how their children are doing was reaffirmed last night. All their thoughts on what good teaching to them was reflected what they valued most for their children. In Mary Kay's case she said that the teachers she thought were most effective had expectations for her child. Additionally teachers who are up-to-date on the research and development in their field, teachers that constantly seek new strategies and methods to enhance their professional development. They also saw teachers who are active in the community to the one's who really had their childrens best interest at heart. The most valuable point I believe I will take with me from them was the strong feelings of wanting to have open communication with teachers. I believe all three of the parents felt that if their child was misbehaving, or struggling they would want to be told. If as teachers we can start and maintain open communication with all parents this will significantly reduce our stress and the possibility of confrontation if the situation is allowed to progress.