I have seen this picture doing the rounds on social media of late. I had a good laugh at first but then I had a serious think about the roles that parents and caregivers play in their kids education.
Being Stage 4 coordinator this year has put me in almost daily contact with parents and I can say that by far the most productive conversations are held when parents are actively involved in the students CCSC life (both the academics and sports program).
It has occurred to me though that there is a huge spectrum of parent involvement and that there is a definite sweet spot on that spectrum. If a parent is not involved at all in their kids education there are going to be breakdowns in parent and teacher communication. At the other end of the spectrum if a parent solves every issue for their kids you have another set of problems and a breakdown between the student teacher relationship.
As hinted I’m not sure where on the spectrum that sweet spot of parent involvement is but it seems to fit somewhere between supporting your student within the CCSC learning environments and also supporting the decisions that teachers and coaches at the college make. I have been at CCSC for nearly three years now and I can assure every parent that every teacher and every coach always has the students best interest at heart and in mind.
For more reading here is a link to another blog post which I have seen doing the rounds, especially on facebook. It sums up the modern experience of a teacher very well.
http://www.kidspot.com.au/college/primary/real-life/teachers-are-humans-too?ref=page_view%2Cprimary
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