What do you want from your administration?

[Mom to E and A]

Hey all, I am an elemetary teacher by trade (on leave the last 4 years with my babies...probably still for another 4 years or so) and this year I am finishing up grad school as an intern as the assistant principal at a nearby school. I'm just wondering what parents think about the administration at their schools? Something you like, don't like, want? I am hoping to improve parental involvement at the school! Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

[Mallori]

I miss being able to request teachers. I understand it's a pain for the administration, but it's insulting to me that they gave us forms we could use to "describe what you feel your child needs in a teacher...any form with a specific request will be thrown out". How is that easier than just telling you which teacher? And i'm an involved parent for crying out loud...not an imbecile.

The other thing that bothered me about the principal at the school we left, was that she'd take my dh more seriously than me, because he was a man. I am the SAH parent, what's going on with the kids is something I know more about than dh, but she'd treat me like an overbearing whiny mom. When he went in, she listened. It wasn't just me, she did that with all the moms.

Where we live, the market is flooded with teachers, and not enough jobs. IMO, teachers better be DOING their jobs, or let go, esp. since there are so many good ones to choose from. My son had two of the worst teachers ever last year, numbers upon numbers of parents have complained about them, and the principal will stand behind them anyway. Makes me ill.

Get rid of crappy curricula. AKA...EVERYDAY MATH, for starts.

ok...breathe. I still have some animosity toward our last school....

I'm sure you're going to do great, because you came and asked that question, so i'm sure you care.

[skiingmamma]

I'm just starting this whole school process, so I don't know a lot, but I can tell what I think at this point. I wish the schools would be more accommodating to the children that have never been away from home. There are so many working moms, and kids that are in day cares and preschool right off the bat, that it has become almost the norm. It's only my son's third day of school and the teacher is already complaining to me about his lack of speed in the new routine of scool.
With Kindergaten being all day now in many states, it's harder for some kids, and parents, transition, and I would like the district to not punish those of us who find no need to send our children away from home too soon! :

[Mom to E and A]

Thanks for your thoughts ladies!
I wish we (as the teachers or administrators even) could control the crappy curriculum. I have not taught everday math, but my daughter was taught it and I don't think it is best for everyone, but it comes from above. Often, thse who make the decisions are not the best informed as to what is going on in the trenches (ie classrooms). It is tough dealing with the political side of it (I could go on and on also, but will stop here with this one!)

I totally agree that there needs to be something in place for the kids who aren't in daycare or preschool before all day K. I think I might even prefer preK be offered in the schools half day to everyone if they are goign to make K mandatory all day.
I might make that my mission right off, to find and help those kids (and parents) who have not dealt with seperation or formal education until entering K....

[lightheart]

More ways/times for the parents to come to school and be informed on what is going on, and ableto volunteer ther help, not just the X NCLB meetings per year and the 2 parent teacher confrences.

Mandatory that ALL teachers update their class websites on a regular basis. Post what the class is doing and what is happening every week instead of looking part way through the school year and still seein the 'class supply list'

[Aeress]

Well on that same vein, kids who are entering school for the first time, need to be reassured that their emotional needs are just as important as anything else and the Principal can help with this by greeting the kids as they walk in.

Also, please do not implement any "character development" programs! And please don't assume that most parents are unable or do not care enough to be involved in their child's education.

[Mallori]

I wish we (as the teachers or administrators even) could control the crappy curriculum. I have not taught everday math, but my daughter was taught it and I don't think it is best for everyone, but it comes from above. Often, thse who make the decisions are not the best informed as to what is going on in the trenches (ie classrooms). It is tough dealing with the political side of it (I could go on and on also, but will stop here with this one!)

Who does make the decision about curriculum?

I thought of another....

Eliminate "movie days" or at LEAST reduce them. Every time my kids had an early release day, or the day before a holiday, guess what? Yep, a movie. In third grade, my son watched "Barnyard" which I consider a HORRIBLE movie for children. I told him at home that we weren't renting it, so at school he told his teacher he wasn't allowed. He was sent to another room, alone. Niiice. IMO, it's just as easy, not to mention educational, more fun, to have a board game day. I get that it's hard to get started on much for studies, but come on!

[supervee]

Be visible. Know parents and kids by their names, and greet them.

There was a problem at DS's school last year with a teacher in an older grade level (he was arrested), and I really liked that the director sent an email and mailed a letter to parents immediately describing the problem and what steps had been taken to solve the problem. That really made me trust the director.

[kmeyrick]

This isn't really the administrators' faults, and they don't like it better than anyone else, but I wish they weren't always out of the building in meetings. I mean, my principal where I work is great, but she's *never* around. She hates that too, but the board isn't interested.

[CarrieMF]

There isn't much about the administration at our school that I don't like from a parent's perspective, anything that there is has to do with the school board.

For parent involvement I can tell you what our school does.

First there is a School Community Council(like a pta). They are required by our province for each school. The principal is an advisor but it is run by the parents who are elected.

The SCC organizes the following:

Breakfast program, 5 days a week parents volunteer to set it up & serve it to the kids. It is open to EVERY child in the school.

Concessions 2-3 times a year at Track & Field, Family Fun Day & if they continue the School Dance

Cut & Paste Group, pretty much kindergarten for adults.lol 1-2 times a month the teachers gather anything that needs cutting, glueing, colouring, etc & the parents meet from 9-11:45 to do that work. Then if it needs laminating the secretary does that & we get to cut it out again. There are other things that they laminate but don't need work done prior like the bulletin board borders & such.

Hot lunch, we have no cafeteria so once a month they do a hot lunch program. The parents come in & cook the food in the kitchen, then serve it to the kids. Parents are invited to eat with their kids. The parents can order the food for themselves & any other siblings too, it isn't just for the kids in school.

Bulletin Boards, we come in & set up, take down bulletin boards for the teachers.

Library Inventory, they bring us in for 3-4 days to count & re-organize all the books.

Special Events, like Track & Field/Family Fun Day/Christmas Concert, we come in & help with specific events, decorating, etc.

Teacher's Luncheon, once a year the SCC cooks a meal for the staff. On Hot Lunch Days the teachers seem to usually have a hot meal of their own on the stage & we end up doing alot of that cooking too(mostly just warming up).

I can't think off the top of my head if there's more than that. Doing even 1 of those gets alot of exposure with the teachers & in the school. They usually take up a few days a month in the school.

Sight Words, this wasn't set up by the SCC but it was mostly the same parents.lol Each grade has a list of 100 words that they need to know how to read within 2-3 seconds of seeing the word. The parents tested the kids before the program started, then recorded how many words they got right. If they got 98-100% of the words right they didn't have to do them at all. If they got 98-100% of the first 20 then moved onto the 2nd 20 & so on. We came in & tested them once a week, we also played sight word games with them so it wasn't just repetative testing. If they got thei r98-100% right then they moved onto the next level.

Some of the other ways parents are involved in the school are:

Muffin Morning. This happens the 2nd or 3rd week in September. It's more of a meet the teachers/school thing. From 8-9 there is muffins, juice, coffee available for any teachers, staff, parents & kids. They mingle in the hallways, talk & the kids take their parents around to their rooms if they haven't been before.

SCC meetings, they try to hold some informative meeting once a month. The one I remember was the VP going over the new math program so the parents had a clue what was going on.

Classroom Volunteer. This is done differently in each grade/class. In teh odler grades(4-6) there are not many parents in the classrooms unless it's a special thing like when my dd's class did an entire day of pioneer activities & the teachers needed help. In the younger grades you can let the teacher know & book a date. There is 1 teacher who had a list of the parents who could volunteer & she'd schedule the dates 2months in advance. That was so nice as it was a monthly thing. you can also volunteer to help out in the office, do work for the principal & such.

Family Fun Day. It is Kid Friendly Track & Field. It is all day, held Tuesday before the last day of classes in June. Parents can volunteer to help out, alot just sit & watch their kids. There is always a hotdog lunch that day & parents are invited to come to each lunch with thier kids.

Parent/Teacher interviews. They changed them up a bit the last 2 years. They started going with student led ones. You could have your traditional one, but most were student led. the teachers were there but there were no set times so you could come & go at your time without having to take time off work. The only downside was instead of having 15minutes for each interview they took much, much longer.lol For my 3 kids I was there for 2 hours. Last year they went with student led in the fall & traditional in the spring.

The biggest thing in getting parents involved is being open & welcoming to the parents. The school here really focus' on the school being a big family & it shows in how the parents are treated as a whole. It is more like a small town school in that we do not have to sign in or out, report to the office, we pick our kids up in the classrooms, are asked our opinions on things.

[journeymom]

Specific to principles: they need the big picture, a mission, a plan to move the school forward, they need to always keep the lines of communication open with teachers and parents, and never do an end-run-around and eliminate important programs without first consulting the teachers and parents.

Our last principle got obsessed with order and protocol: kids walking to their classes when the second morning bell rang were turned around and sent back to the office to get their hands stamped and marked as tardy. Kids were lined up out the office door, missing class time because of this garbage. Kids weren't allowed to use their cell phones on campus at all even after school let out. So there were kids standing out on the side walk calling their parents after school let out. Don't misunderstand, I think cell phones should be off during school time and if anyone abuses that the cell phone should be taken away.

She refused to cooperate with the choir director to help her find a room big enough to practice in just once a week before school. So we lost the choir for a year.

She, without consultation with the sixth grade teachers and the parents, cancelled the sixth grade week-long trip to Yosemite. This is a tremendous deal. Fortunately we found out about it in time to reinstate it. Some of these kids had been looking forward to it since Kindergarten. The school has had a standing reservation with the Yosemite Institute for years, and it's doubtful we'd have ever gotten back on the list. The waiting list of schools trying to get into this program is huge.

Later the teachers confided in the PTA that this principle did not listen to them and generally did not see to their needs.

Principles need to have integrity, need to respect the teachers and the parents, and need to have vision, a plan to advance the school, make it a destination school, not eviscerate all that makes it special, and drive the parents away. They must communicate with and listen to the teachers and parents, and work with a spirit of cooperation.

Principles should not alienate everyone!

Originally Posted by lightheart

Mandatory that ALL teachers update their class websites on a regular basis. Post what the class is doing and what is happening every week instead of looking part way through the school year and still seein the 'class supply list'

Oh, absolutely. Please, I need those once a month class news letters. And that applies to the principle, as well. I need a school news letter once a week, and it should be posted on the school web site. Schools should all have a web site by now. It's a necessity.

[LauraLoo]

Originally Posted by lightheart

More ways/times for the parents to come to school and be informed on what is going on, and ableto volunteer ther help, not just the X NCLB meetings per year and the 2 parent teacher confrences.

Mandatory that ALL teachers update their class websites on a regular basis. Post what the class is doing and what is happening every week instead of looking part way through the school year and still seein the 'class supply list'

I agree with more ways and times to volunteer. For some it's easier in the day, but some parents don't want to be in the classroom -- and for other parents - evening is best. I love our school now -- I can volunteer in a number of different ways - at school or at home. They have once a month volunteer projects -- sometimes it's tending the gardens, sometimes it's helping build something, and sometimes it's something "educational" for the parents.....Parents are always included in the seasonal festivities to help set up, serve food, etc. I hate volunteer projects when part of the process is to sit in a room and think up who's going to do what and when.....Just tell me what you need done and I'll tell you if I can do it!

Oh yeah.....and with an updated website -- you can list different ways that parents can be volunteering!

[heket]

You asked for parental input, but as a parent of the community I work in, I hope this is ok. I'm also the local children's librarian of the public library in my community. I'm certain not all of this applies, but it might help others.

My children are still young and we plan to homeschool. So I can't really answer on the what I'd like from my local public school.

Our district is very large (23 elemntary schools) so I expect that not everything I'll comment on be an across the board solution. However, the closest school to us is the only magnet school at the k-8 level for the district.

With that, my suggestions are:

Keep the lottery, but provide a certain number of spaces for those children who live closest to the school's administration. But I do work with parts of our local school district.

(Because our town is mostly a working class community) Remember that while working parents would love to volunteer in the class or help at the school, sometimes that means on the weekends or after 5pm.

Parents do not send their children to school and simply expect the school to handle all the problems. Some of us would love to coordinate and help children with the various assignments.

Please encourage teachers to not wait til the last minute to send home notices about items needed in less than a week's time. Some of us do have to wait until payday to be able to provide the necessary items if we can.

As a librarian:
Please, please, please give us as soon a notice as possible that the class has a reading list, or maybe studying a particular topic, etc. There's nothing worse than telling a kid who can't afford to purchase a book, "I'm sorry, but the copies we have are checked out and the first one available is after your assignment is due."

Please remember we do exist in the community and while you may not be able to visit us, that doesn't mean we wouldn't love to visit your class or school.

Ask us about books. We know you've been to great staff development days that get you jazzed about certain titles. Sometimes, we know others that complement, are better, or can be added to your list.

We know and love working with your kids as much as you do. While you experience one side of them, we may see another that you never do (for good or ill.)

As a community partner, we aren't trying to usurp kids from you. We merely want to encourage and complement the work you do. We want to foster life long learning and reading as much as any other school librarian or teacher.

Like I said, this may not totally apply, but is what I'd like to be able to tell my very closed school district. Perhaps there's others out there it will also speak to.

[LauraLoo]

Originally Posted by heket

Parents do not send their children to school and simply expect the school to handle all the problems. Some of us would love to coordinate and help children with the various assignments.

Please encourage teachers to not wait til the last minute to send home notices about items needed in less than a week's time. Some of us do have to wait until payday to be able to provide the necessary items if we can.

As a librarian:
Please, please, please give us as soon a notice as possible that the class has a reading list, or maybe studying a particular topic, etc. There's nothing worse than telling a kid who can't afford to purchase a book, "I'm sorry, but the copies we have are checked out and the first one available is after your assignment is due."

These are really, really good!

[MCR]

I would like a principal who acts like and adult.
Who doesn't get all pissy when the kids are doing age appropriate things.
Who doesn't project adult ideas and meaning onto everything said/done by a young child.
Who is realistic in the lunch room and lets the kids socialize at their table when eating lunch (you have a bull horn lady use it if there is an emergency)
Who isn't playing favorites with parents.
I'm sure theres more thats off the top of my head.
Can you tell I am not fond of our local principal right now, I hope she has moved on by the time Dd gets to K.

Good luck with your Grad school, I'm sure you'll make a wonderful principal, seeing you are already asking and talking with parents about school

[quaz]

Let's start with the simple.
I EXPECT the administration to communicate with me.
If there is a 'meet the teacher night', COMMUNICATE IT!!! The time school started/ended change 2 times in the course of 3 days. When I asked about the process for picking up kids, I was told by administration, oh just pull up, and look for your child. Umm... excuse me?? Is there a place the kids are supposed to stand?? Where am I supposed to look for my K student about 500-600 others kids??


Now, I really get schools are strapped for cash. What I do NOT like is a recent note I received that 'expects' parents to either donate money OR SELL. I'm sorry. I truly get that schools need money, but do NOT tell me I MUST do one of the other. Politely request. Do NOT order me. Treat me as a parent, and not a student.


Finally, do NOT treat me as 'that sort of mother'. I had questions about the K curriculm and differentiation. (There are schools around me that teach to the upper 80%, so do not do differentiation, so I felt this was a valid question). The admin of the school asked me, what sort of questions I had. I started out with, my daughter is reading...
The admin INTERUPTED me, and proceeded to tell me that all K students were reading, and she had 20+ parents every semester that thought there child was gifted. (I didn't mention the gifted word).

The problem is there are many school districts that treat parents this way. There are also parents that HAVE gifted kids.

I understand the admin was frustrated with the same question, but STILL treat the parents with some level of decency.

As part of the actually administration, though, please do recognize there are kids that are gifted, and that the standard classroom situation will not work. I've heard horrible horror stories about schools and gifted children. Schools that refuse to even consider skipping a child, when it is beyond obvious (the parent has test scores that show the child is profoundly gifted, etc).

I want my administration to WORK with me as a parent to come up with the best solution for my and other kids like mine. :-/

Tammy