Prompt #5 John Dewey

"The culturally competent teacher involves and works with families and community resources, understanding the differences in families, the important influence of family participation in students' learning, and the benefit of collaborating with the wider school community". 

Parents play a huge role in the education of their child. I am tutoring in a first grade classroom, and children at this age are not able to do many things with out the help of an adult, such as their parents. Children as young as 5 and 6 years old cannot sign themselves up for school, and cannot drive themselves to school, so it is clearly the responsibility of the parent to get their child to school. Throughout my visits, I noticed a young boy whom I have only seen about two times in class so far. I fell so sorry for this boy, because at six years old already, he is not receiving the education he needs to continue in school. If children start missing school at such a young age, this could create a pattern in that child's future. When the children are still young, the parent can control what they do, and attending school is one of the most important things in the life of that child. People can not go anywhere in life with out a proper education, and it all starts with the parents. 

I do not know how the teacher of the classroom I am in goes about talking to parents and things like that because I am only there one day a week. If I were the teacher of the classroom and noticed that one child had been missing a significant amount of school, I would make it a point to make parent-teacher conferences. These meetings are important because it is the only time you are able to sit down with a parent and discuss their child's need for education. I would get the point across that children NEED a stable education to go anywhere in life. In a lot of cases, going to school can keep children out of trouble. Instead of being on the streets selling drugs and doing illegal things, the children can be in school away from toxic things that lead to prison and horrible futures. I would respect and understand the fact that maybe the parents have a hard time getting the child to school on their own every single day, but then I could recommend bussing and other transportation options. But most importantly, I would stress the fact that a good education is absolutely essential, especially at a young age. 

Every week the children in my classroom have to do a reading log. This activity requires the help of the parents. When the children come into class every Friday with their completed reading log, the teacher asks every students if their parents helped them. She stresses that parents need to be involved in their schoolwork. She also makes the children take home words that they have to read with any family member, and when they come in, there must be a signature of who helped the child read their words. I think that is a great technique, because it ensures that fact that the families of these children are getting involved with their education. 

It is important that schools make sure that there is a common ground between what is being taught in each classroom. I am not saying that teachers must read from a script when that teach, but that they make sure they cover everything that child needs in order to move onto the next level, or grade. It is important that school around the community are teaching, for the most part, the same topics. If in first grade, each child needs to know how to add and subtract, ten all schools must make sure that is what is being taught. 

John Dewey wrote an article entitled, "The Democratic Conception in Education".  In it, Dewey discusses how it is important that teachers interact with the societies around them. If there is not a common ground between the teachings at every school, then some of he children in each class will not succeed onto the next grade level. Since it is towards the end of the year, the teacher at my school has been asking her students if the things they do in class are things that second graders will do. She is making sure that all of her students will be ready to move into a second grade setting. And that is what Dewey believes is an important factor in the schooling systems in all of our communities.