I am struggling with 3 voices shouting inside my head. One is courtesy 21 years of sitting around my parent's kitchen table, hearing the stories of my father, the school administrator. One is courtesy of 8 years of working as a student teacher/teacher/school librarian. And the last one is courtesy of almost 6 years of being a mother.
I am struggling.
Andrew starts Kindergarten on Monday. We had orientation last Thursday. It would be the understatement of the year to say I was unimpressed. But these darn voices...they shout at each other in my head... Here's an example of what I struggle with...using his class size as an example. There are other issues, like lack of communication, but I'll just bore you with one.
Parent- I can't believe there are 27 kids in Andrew's class. Even if it is a really good teacher, there's no way she can adequately meet every child's needs.
Teacher- The last thing I need is grief from an irate parent. It IS terrible to have 27-28 students in a class. What am I supposed to do about it? My administration just hands it to me.
Administrator- Money is tight. Budget cuts have to come from somewhere. If you want decent class size, let us raise your taxes or cancel busing or something. There are no state standards for class size, so we're not technically doing anything wrong.
Parent- I am going to write a letter to the administration demanding extra help in the classroom. If they won't pay for another class, then the teacher should at least have help in there.
Teacher- Fabulous. The parent doesn't even know FOR SURE yet how many kids are in the class and she's already going over my head. She's one of "THOSE PARENTS". I'll be sure to let the rest of the teachers know to be wary of her.
Administrator- Squeaky wheel. Volunteer in the classroom if you want extra help for the teacher. Parents have responsibilities too...not just the school.
Parent- Perhaps I'll volunteer once a week in the classroom to help out the teacher. She must be overwhelmed.
Teacher- Oh, great. This parent doesn't trust me and wants to watch everything that I'm doing. The last thing I need is to be constantly monitored.
Administrator- We have security issues and can't have random parents wandering about the school.
Parent- Perhaps I'll just sit back and be quiet for a few weeks and see how everything shakes down.
Teacher- Terrific. The parents are just going to take this lying down, so every year I'll get huge classes like this. Figures.
Administrator- See? A large class doesn't matter. Parents don't really care. They just want their kids out of their hair for the day.
These are the voices. I don't know what to do. I WILL wait a little while, because I don't have the whole story yet. I WILL ask the advise of my parents who have raised children through a school system of their own and undoubtedly faced issues like this. I WILL use my experiences in schools to help me access the situation and I WILL acknowledge that I don't know this particular school's issues so not to assume anything.
And I WILL probably let my parent voice win. But I fear that I will become one of THOSE parents. Which I really really don't want to. But I WILL fight for my child's education. I WILL fight for my child.
Why do I feel like I have to fight at all? Shouldn't we all be fighting together for the best education?
7 comments:
I love this post. I know I will be thinking those same things once my oldest starts kindergarten. At the very least, you can see all sides, and that might be helpful. Yes, I do agree that you should let your parent voice win most of the time and be the best advocate you can be for your child. But how to do that is totally the hard part. Let us know how it turns out! =)
I for one would love to hear some of the other conversations......
I would do exactly as you are. Give it some time and then do something about it....whatever that might be.
This is a great post - a great example of seeing all the complicated sides of the issue. I think that's to your advantage, so you can preface your action with, "I know how hard it is on the teacher to have 27 kids in a class, because I've been in her shoes." That gives you more weight, I think.
And that's the hard part, isn't it, about issues in the schools right now? Because where is the money going to come from? Ugh. I don't know, I worry about it too.
27 kids????? Yes, I have the same conversations in my head and ultimately, the parent voice wins, too. Because if you don't stick up for your kid, who will?
Wow, 27 kids is a pretty big classroom. I think it's very cool that you can see the various sides to this situation. I agree with the other ladies that ultimately, your parent voice wins out--but you may be able to express your thoughts better than most because you DO understand the bigger picture. I think letting the school year begin and seeing how things unfold will give you even more information. Does his school do a "Back to School" night or something similar? We have those around here--that might be a good chance to offer to volunteer (if you want to) and to empathize with the teacher. If things seem REALLY rocky, you can always address administration later if the need arises. At least you have it on your radar. This is unchartered territory for me as a parent...I would most likely give it some time but there will be a point where you intuition tells you that you need to speak up. Hope Andrew's year gets off to a great start!!
I have a very similar set of voices conversing in my head all the time when it comes to school business.
Holy smokes, 27 is a lot of kids!
I am concerned that we'll face the same thing next year if Ohio goes to mandatory all day K - who has the money to hire all those extra teachers???
I think you're poised to do the right thing. I have to imagine the teacher will be clamoring for some help in there as well - just thinking of 27 kindergartners gives me a headache.
Keep in mind that Andrew, especially, had a lot to gain from K beyond the academics. He doesn't need K to teach him to read or do math. Maybe he'll be spinning his wheels a bit, but he'll also learn a lot about being part of a group in an entirely new way.
I know you guys will all do great - good luck!!! I can't wait to hear how it goes.
All I know is that I learn A LOT from volunteering in the classroom. I can see where my kids are academically and socially and what areas I can work on with them at home. I also feel comfortable talking to the teachers and I get to know their styles since I interact with them regularly. I may not be able to control or change the school environment but I can be involved and that's the first step to knowing how to help my kids succeed. Good luck!
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