This week I will be chaperoning a school trip for 2 of my high school children. We will all travel to a camp with bunk style cabins and they will room with their friends for 3 nights! During the day they will have intensive learning experiences in the arts of their choice with a fun showcase at the end. My son is attending the camp for ballroom dance and my daughter is attending for Musical Theater. There is also band, orchestra, visual arts, dance, stage fighting and more.
What has been the most unusual chaperone trip you have taken? I have gone to zoos, a sea turtle sanctuary, museums and etc! I have conducted songs on the school bus, directed sporty contests at field day, as well as taught school classes of famous artists, musicians and etc. One of my favorite opportunities spanned years which was coming in weekly to read to the classes. This gave the teachers a break, and also allowed me to get kids excited about books!
Often it was a hassle to get there. Many times I needed to arrange for babysitters for other kiddos to make an appearance in their classroom, but it was so incredibly worth it. Once your children get into the school system, they learn much more how to interact with other and begin learning from many other sources, it is powerful to have positive presence in that space as well as at home.
Allow me to share with you 5 reasons your presence makes a difference to your child and also many other children in the classroom as well!
- Check out this amazing insight from The National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education: “no matter their income or background, students with involved parents are more likely to have higher grades and test scores, attend school regularly, have better social skills, show improved behavior and adapt well to school.” Boom! Powerful facts right there!
- Also from the National Coalition: “When parents are involved at school, the performance of all the children at school, not just their own, tends to improve. The more comprehensive and well planned the partnership between school and home, the higher the student achievement.”
- Additional perks you receive by volunteering in the classroom are you establish a relationship with the teacher and the front desk with makes it much easier and more natural to resolve common issues as they arise such as illness, injury, bullying and the like.
- Getting a vibe for the teacher in their work environment as well as the other kids is illuminating. Being present regularly helps you to clearly know what is being studied, the relationship of the teacher to the students and also the dynamic amongst other students.
- When you show up regularly in your kids classroom, you don’t have to wait until Parent/Teacher conference to get an update. You become more a part of the educational team. You can see the other children’s presentations and papers that are on display and come to appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of your own child, allowing you to nurture them more personally. It was by going into the school that I realized one of my daughters needed some extra help with math facts. So we worked on them every day for 4-5 weeks and that was enough! She caught up and confident. Then in the fifth grade they called her the human calculator!
Showing up in the classroom, helped me more readily accept that my daughter needed glasses when she came home with a note from the eye assessment in sixth grade! I seriously had no idea her vision was not perfect and it turned out my son benefitted from glasses too!
Raising a happy, well balanced and contributing child is no joke! It takes diligent attention and effort! Being completely honest, it requires a bit of grace when we invariable fall short as I often do! The key is to keep trying!
At the dinner table, I ask my kids “What is your high and low from today?” On the days when I have been in to my child’s classroom, the answer frequently has come back “my high was that mom came into my class today!”
And while there are so many other good reasons, that reason is my favorite! When my child knows that I see them, love them and will be there for them, then I know I am succeeding in one area!
So wish me luck at the Arts Retreat this week. I will help with the big dodgeball game, the uproarious game night and the skits too. Maybe I will have a chance to influence your child this week too! I promise to be encouraging!
Mom and Dad! Let’s get in that classroom! 🙂
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