Immigrants from Jamaica, a pull factor for my parents’ emigration to the US was educational opportunity for their children. They believed in the American educational system and I remember my parents always saying, “listen to your teachers”. My mom and dad did not necessarily know how I was learning or what I was, but they trusted the who enough to believe I was learning. Note that this was not because my parents were disengaged or uninterested - They attended PTA/PTO meetings. They went to every parent/teacher conference. They reviewed my report cards with me. Still, they didn’t know the how or the what of my learning. What does that have to do with today? Just wait… I am getting there.
More than a decade in education and I have realized how vast that gap in parent understanding of their child’s academic journey truly remains. I think of the unique terminology I have used as an educator based on the learning programs in schools where I have worked. MPOs. Predicate expanders. Understanding by Design. Model drawing. Parents have sat across from me in more conferences than I can remember and listened to me jabber on about little Shane’s success or areas of growth in utilizing one strategy or the next. Oftentimes, however, they remain confused about the future application of a "QO". Nevertheless, as the keeper of knowledge, parents were confident that whatever skills and strategies I, as teacher, was helping build for their child was necessary and found comfort in their child’s ability to utilize this knowledge, even if they didn’t understand it. So what does that have to do with today? Well, I’m glad you asked.
Today - parents are teachers. That foreign language of academia; those secret symbols on student’s work; every call and response cue … all of it is now dropped in the laps of parents who have minimal to no training, expertise, or understanding in the aforementioned how or what. Parents in Spring 2020 are experiencing their own learning gap. The current generation of students are learning content in a very different way than the generation they are going home to. This was "OK" until COVID-19. Schools are now counting on parents to continue the academic program they have cultivated for the last x # of years for little Shane. The veil is off, however. Schools and families are now facing a very real truth... the collaboration we thought existed was superficial at best and now, here we are! How are schools and families going to bridge this gap? What are your thoughts?
I’m not your average parent. I’m an educated home maker. I’m not just good at math. It’s my specialty. It’s where I excelled most. Plus I’ve spent more time as a student vs a professional. As a result my children have a great understanding of the concepts at a much younger age then what was taught to our generation. My main concerns with my children had more to do with the limits group learning can put on a child. Often I have found that my children quickly become uninterested in lesson plans based on the progression of their peers. I have personally loved what distance learning has done for my children. It gives me full access to lesson plans and…
This is so spot on. I have always been good at math she had to sit down and take a second look at 2nd grade math. I know that my education, dedication and patients allows me to work with my son in a way not all children receive. There will definitely be an educational gap based on parental lifestyle.