When my child was in the 2nd grade, and her teacher asked me why I didn’t sign her “homework” notebook, I told her it was because I was raising a “thinking” child.
It’s the same reason I didn’t:
- Go through my kids backpacks every day
- Pick out my child’s clothes
- Decide if they would bring lunch or buy lunch
- Make their lunch if they decided to bring it
- Sit in the classroom and “observe”
- Make a special trip to school to drop off a forgotten instrument, pair of cleats or science project
- Talk to the teacher about my child’s “performance” without my child present
- And 100 other decisions I made about my role in my child’s educational experience
I believed my primary job was to prepare my kids to leave home at 18 with the confidence necessary to make hundreds of decisions each day, the ability to overcome whatever challenge or obstacle they encounter and to do so with a sense of courage, curiosity and enthusiasm. That is how I defined my job as a mother. I made that decision when my first child came home from Kindergarten with a list of “expectations” the teacher had of me.
Truth be told, when I sat down with my children’s teachers and explained my philosophy, they were, for the most part, supportive. So I have nothing to complain about.
But recently, some of my closest and smartest friends have been struggling with balancing their decision to raise thinking kids and with the school expectations that parents play an “active” role in their child’s educational experience.
Here are a few tips on how to balance your decision to raise thinking kids (who are often, late, messy and leave their stuff behind in the car) with the schools request for over-involved parents.
Talk to the teacher. Yes, I know it can be scary, but most teachers I know really do love kids, want to work with parents AND are often times so overwhelmed with “stuff” they have to do, that their warm and caring side gets covered up. I encourage every parent to talk with their child’s teacher at the beginning of the year if possible, when they are fresh and rested and exited and they are open to creating an exceptional educational experience for your child. And if it’s March when you’re ready to have that conversation with the teacher, do it anyway.
Have your child present at the meeting so you set the tone for the year and the teacher knows that your child is part of this important conversation and that they will take responsibility for the decisions they make. This helps establish a logical balance of power between all the parties. If the teacher deals with homework that isn’t turned in by having kids stay after for an hour, you can smile and support the teacher from the get go. Imagine how far this goes in establishing a respectful and open relationship. One, by the way, your child is watching and will begin to emulate over time.
Decide if you will sign homework, reading, math or science books and then be honest with the teacher about who will be doing the signing. My children signed every piece of paper that ever came home that required a parent’s signature. If they were struggling in math, I wanted them to tell me, not a piece of paper.
Decide if there are instances when you would be willing to make a special trip to school to bring an item to your child and what those instances are so everyone is clear from the beginning. This goes a long way in creating consistency as well as allowing everyone to support each other in the process of raising thinking kids.
Decide whether you will use “Portal” or online options or if you will get information directly from your child; and then tell your teacher. The following is an example of how terrible the whole thing of the Portal is: “My niece’s middle school in (state will remain anonymous) contacted her mother and scolded her for not checking her daughter’s school portal info often. They said if she didn’t do it” I checked the portal at least once a week, her daughter will get points from her final score. His daughter is straight A student. “Scary isn’t it?!?
Explain to the teacher your purpose in raising a child who thinks and what you want to do to stay true to your decisions. Let them know that you want to work collaboratively with them and your intention is not to make their lives difficult. And in turn, you understand that they will not do anything to damage the relationship you are trying to build with your child by insisting that you “make” your child do homework and deliver it on time. Unless of course, you both will go to college with the child, in this case, have.
As the mother of 5, it seems to me that raising a THINKING child in the 21st century, is nothing less than a requirement for every parent, teacher, coach or anyone else working with kids. But hey, that’s just me.
