My first interview went as planned. I interviewed my principal, and it went as I expected. When you know what your leader's vision, it is easy to know what they are going to say. It is the first parent interview that shook me up.
I interviewed a set of parents whose child is in second grade. I must tell you, that if you were a teacher in my school, and looked at the parent statistics, they really seem good. If you spoke to the teachers in my building, they would tell you we have great parent relationships, and over 90 percent participate in conferences. After this parent interview, I felt as though my preconceived notions went right out the window. I know the student's teacher very well, and was surprised about what the parents said.
When asked about the overall impression of XYZ Elementary, the parents said that it was a good school, full of hard working teachers. They stated that for the most part, they felt that the teachers were working in the best interest of the children. They had moved from West Virginia right before their child entered kindergarten. Their first experience with a teacher was not pleasant, as their son had hours of homework each week in kindergarten. Their son also has a speech issue, and had some behavioral issues during the year. The first and second grade teachers, however, got higher marks and cared about their students. They felt like communication could be worked on at the school. They sometimes felt "left out" of what was being learned in the classroom, and when their child was disciplined in the classroom by pulling a ticket, they were sometimes not notified about what the exact incident was. This normally would be a problem, but it was mentioned that the teacher leaves daily at exactly 3:15, and it was very hard to get a hold of her after hours. These revel elations led the parents to state that email would be a great tool for collaboration, and could solve some problems with communication. The parents thought a night once a month to speak with the teacher would be a great way to keep up with what was going on.
On the issue of being involved with the PTA, they said they had worked with members of the board in the past, but felt they were "snobby" and felt awkward when around them. This did not deter them, however, from paying the PTA dues and supporting it monetarily. They come to a large part of the events, and participate whenever they can. The parents also supported the classroom by donated extra items, and volunteered to help wherever they could. They felt school to be very important, and wanted their child to know this through their actions and words.
When asked about their schooling as children, they both spoke passionately about how their parents were not involved at school. The father mentioned that his parents never came to school, and how he was envious of how much attention the other students got when their parents came school. The mother talked about how her parents were dropouts, and how they felt they could not show up to school because of what the teacher may think of them (she almost came to tears, as did I!). She mentioned that her mother was always pushing her to finish high school, and her dad thought she should stay home. These experiences have led them to really participate in their son's school, as they do not want him to feel anything negative about it. It was really amazing to hear how badly they wanted their son to do well in school.
The final component of the interview was whether or not the parents would be open to getting emails from the school. They were very supportive of the idea, and said they would love to get emails from the school on a regular basis. The mother said it would be nice to check for emails, because a lot of the times she just hangs up the phone for Connect-Ed messages.
After the interview, I really reflected on how I personally communicate with my parents. I need to improve in some of the areas that were mentioned. I was surprised to hear their views on the school, because it had seemed practically perfect. I felt the need to go out and talk to my parents individually after the meeting so I could fix any problems they may have. I was excited by the suggestions about getting emails, because that was one of my goals going into this. I can't wait to hear what the other parents have to say!
Matt Maurer
Comments (3)
wow! Good stuff Matt. I wonder what parents of high achievers or the PTA mom would say? Hopefully you have a good mix in your particpants, I can't remember right off what the make-up is. I am a little concerned about the parent who hangs up on Connect Ed. If you really wanted information, wouldn't you listen to the fullest? Who is to say she would read the email to the period?
We had email groups at the school I taught at, parents who didn't want the phone call could get emails. We made sure everything that went our on the voice system also went out on the email system. I look forward to hearing more!
Posted by Roxie Miller | March 20, 2009 2:47 PM
Posted on March 20, 2009 14:47
Very interesting interview! I think your biggest success here is just being able and willing to sit and listen to a set of parents. Things they might never be able to express to a teacher might have come out in your discussion with them. There is always a fine line where such a conversation can change from teacher-related concerns to teacher bashing, and it sounds like you handled it well. I bet you'd benefit from having this type of interview with each parent with children at your school! While that is certainly not possible, it sounds like you're off to a good start.
Posted by Amy Galloway | March 22, 2009 5:04 PM
Posted on March 22, 2009 17:04
What great data you have here! This seems to be a good selection of parents thus far. I'm so glad that you were surprised by some of the data; I think those are the most interesting moments in research.
Posted by Alecia Jackson | March 23, 2009 8:56 PM
Posted on March 23, 2009 20:56