Return-Path: <nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id g21HjVu21484; Fri, 1 Mar 2002 12:45:31 -0500 (EST) Date: Fri, 1 Mar 2002 12:45:31 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <20020301173941.11109.qmail@web20410.mail.yahoo.com> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Colleen Angaiak <c_angaiak@yahoo.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-family@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-FAMILY:833] RE: Concern about federal support for X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Status: O Content-Length: 3624 Lines: 101 Thanks Sylvan! I am a parent of three children, ages 7, 3-1/2, and 8 months. My oldest is in school, and one of the reasons I am now in family literacy is because I left a (higher-paying) job at the local university in order to have more flexibility for my kids. I have three of them, though. So I could volunteer for every opportunity at my daughter's public school, be in the school regularly, etc, but it would take so much time that my other children would miss out on. When my baby is in first or second grade, and my husband and I have been in our jobs longer, etc, we probably will have more time for being involved. That said, I have gone on field trips this year and go to every parent-teacher conference. I write notes back and forth with the teacher. I think this is a pretty acceptable level of involvement. Sylvan is right in that some of the parents we actually work with have huge obstacles in getting to this point. Who wants to go to a parent-teacher conference if they can't read the child's report card or completed work? Who will write notes to teachers if they can't spell simple words? Our job is to help parents get comfortable with the school system on whatever level they desire, starting at the bottom if that's where the parent is. Colleen Angaiak Even Start Coordinator Literacy Council of Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska --- Sylvan Rainwater <sylvan@cccchs.org> wrote: > At 05:48 PM 02/28/2002 -0500, Ted Rohling wrote: > >We are vitally involved in our the school life of > our 8 year old > >daugher...the last one in school. <SNIP> > >It is a small Catholic school that was formed > outside of the local church > >hierarchy. We raise funds to pay the bills. Our > "cafeteria" is funded by > >students, not federal funds for school lunch > programs. Teacher aides are > >not paid, they are volunteer parents. Our > principle is a retired public > >school principle who loves the kids and loves his > new "job". Our coach > >taught at a local high school for 30 years and is > thrilled with the > >excitement of the smaller children. We have no > teacher union. We have no > >large administration. We have people who care > about the education of their > >kids. > ><SNIP> > > Well, cool. Unfortunately, many parents don't have > that luxury, as they are > working full-time just to make ends meet. Most > teachers actually do need to > get paid for what we are doing, as we have families > to feed, too. Doesn't > mean we don't care about the education of our > children, just that we find > that other needs have to come first. > > I guess I worry that schools don't see themselves as > also needing to > consider parents' needs. But how can you educate a > child when the parent > isn't involved and supportive? And how can parents > be involved and > supportive when they don't know what a school system > even is and how it > works? When they can't figure out anything about > this homework because they > never learned that stuff in school? When their own > experiences in school > were either so limited or so cruel, or both, that > all they want to do is to > stay away? > > The model you describe may work well for > middle-class families. I don't see > how it could work for poor families. > > > ------------------------------ > Sylvan Rainwater . sylvan@cccchs.org > Adult Education Teacher and Family Literacy Program > Manager > Clackamas County Children's Commission . Oregon > City, OR USA > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Greetings - Send FREE e-cards for every occasion! http://greetings.yahoo.com
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