I’ll be the first to tell you that I have only been teaching for a little under 2 years, and in education (as in schools) for 4. So I can not speak for everyone in the profession as to how they perceive the world.
I have taught in a low income area and middle income ones. I have worked in public schools, preschools, non-public schools, elementary and middle schools and one thing is obviously consistent across the board: Parents (or guardians, here I will not discriminate). However the extent to which the parents are a presence in the schooling of their children seems to range depending on the socio-economic status of the school you are in. This is especially evident in special education. You will often find that involvement correlates to income.
For those unfamiliar, special education requires constant and consistent testing, work, forms, laws, plans, and processes to make everything run smoothly. Some kids begin this process as an infant, some not until high school. But regardless of who you are and why you are there, the process begins in relatively the same way: the parents. The parents are the ones who notice that there is a discrepancy in their students learning, or believe that their grades do not accurately represent their child. They might notice that their child does not make eye contact or is not talking at the appropriate age. Their concerns are generally valid and early detection can lead to early intervention, which can only benefit the child in the long run. Sometimes (rarely) the students are referred for assessment because they are doing poorly in classes, or there are specific behaviors the teachers and staff observe. But either way, the parents are there every step of the way. From deciding what services to give, to meeting and discussing goals and classes each year, to re-evaluating and testing every 3. Being a parent of a child with special needs is no easy task. And teachers need to develop relationships with these parents in order for the child to be successful.
Having worked in both environments and mixed environments, here are the perceived differences.
The Differences and Frustrations:
(Please understand I am generalizing from experience and know not everyone fits the molds!)
Parents in low involvement areas often (not always) have a lot going on. They often work full time in low pay/ low reward jobs. They have to wonder where their next meal is coming from, where the rent would come from for next month, etc. They are often less involved. They can not pay for things like field trips, class parties, class supplies, or sometimes even new clothes for their student when the old is too small. They have busses pick up or drop off their kids and cannot make it to meetings. Some don’t have e-mail, or even cell phones. Some don’t have the resources to deal with their child with special needs. Getting them to the IEP meetings, to sign paperwork, to deal with behaviors at home, is often impossible.
And it is frustrating. As a special educator, I daily devote 8+ hours of my day, as well as my time at home, to making up resources, shopping for new toys, reading and writing plans to improve the child’s quality of life. If I write a behavior plan that stipulates that the child will not be allowed computer time at home if they are aggressive to their siblings or classmates, and they don’t follow the plan at home (because they haven’t come in, haven’t read it, or can’t read it) it becomes a relentless set-back for the child.
Parents in higher involvement areas often (not always) have one parent as a caregiver at home, or higher paying jobs that allow for time off. They are able to purchase new clothes, school supplies, and treats for their kids. They drive their kids on field trips. Sometimes they are home for bedtimes, sometimes they are not. Most have working cars and get breakfast and are dropped off every morning. They request meetings with teachers because their child missed an assignment or got a B on a test. They can bring advocates and outside therapists to IEP meetings because they do not agree with what the school has decided. Some request services for their child that has A’s and B’s because they feel the student “could do better”. They critique the standards and the lesson plans because they
‘dont make sense’ or it’s ‘too confusing’. They call out teachers and more often than not, get their way.
This is also frustrating. As a teacher, I went through 2 years of post-grad training on lesson planning, differentiating instruction, giving assessments, etc. I know what I am doing. At my current placement, I have seen teachers yelled at, teachers called dumb, and teachers threatened with lawsuits (by CHILDREN). I have seen parents work hard to make sure their SDC student gets out of SDC because it ‘makes them look bad’, yet they still want them to have a 1-1 aide in all of their classes. And because they are high income, they win.
Parents in either situation either care or they don’t. That is a sad fact of life. These are generalizations (and in some cases extreme ones) of parents in both situations. I have seen parents in low involvement areas attend every class field trip just to be there for their child. I have seen parents in high involvement areas send their highly autistic child on to the library for 7 hours after a short day because they forgot to arrange a ride.
Which is a better environment to teach in? Those with high involvement or those with low?
Some educators like the autonomy of teaching with low parent involvement. They are able to teach what they need, give help when needed, and move forward. They don’t have to fight, argue or explain themselves consistently.
Some educators prefer to teach with high involvement. They get school supplies and field trips. They collaborate and listen. They have to explain their methods to parents and enjoy doing do.
If this were a political debate, I would take the ever unpopular “Moderate” position.
Teaching is an art. Some are good at it and some are not. Teaching is also one of the few careers where our salaries are up for public debate and scrutiny (but that is a topic for another day). You may have seen the quote “In it for the outcome, not the income” and for almost every teacher I have met, this is true. We love your children as our own; their flaws, behaviors, peeing on the floor and all. We want to be your friend and co-worker. We want to work with you to make your child the best possible human they could be.
We want you to participate in your child’s education. We want you to come in and work in our classrooms, and drive on field trips, and meet with us to discuss projects and homework and how little Timmy did on Friday with that Math test.
We also want you to respect that we know what we are doing. We’ve probably been doing it for a while. Just like we don’t give parenting lessons, please don’t give us teaching lessons. Trust that the silly things like the Common Core and Standardized testing and PE requirements will all work out in the end. Understand that we know that “new” is scary; it may be new to us as well. But we are trying our hardest to make sure your child is successful in it.
That is our job, and we love what we do. Otherwise, we would not do it.