Partnerships in Education

That Zen that I wrote about a few weeks ago, where I was relaxed, refreshed, and ready to get back at it?... Yeah, that's gone. The slow, sneaking panic related to school is starting to work its way back into my life. But, that's not what I want to write about. I want to write about this idea that school needs to be a partnership.

I was working on my welcome letter today and in it I wrote "This is a partnership, and so I know that it takes all of us—student, teacher, and families—to make learning happen." I cannot stress this idea enough. And the truth is that it actually takes a lot more than teacher-student-family to make learning happen... but we'll get there.

Teachers get put into a frustrating place a lot of times-- we are asked to spend 8 hours a day with kids and teach them. Make them smart, help them grow. But we're helpless when those 8 hours are up. I can't control the outside factors that so greatly change the hours that happen inside our building. I can't make sure that the kids are read to every night, or work on their math facts for 10 minutes, or are in bed at a reasonable hour, with a bath and a full belly. And I can't make sure that they know they are loved and safe at night. But those things make such a difference in the classroom the next day. When these things don't happen, learning doesn't happen (at least as easily) and everyone suffers.

What if every year started with a contractual agreement between students, their teacher(s), and their family? I would need to happen every year, like an IEP meeting, but for every student. Students might agree to try their best and ask for help. Teachers may agree to the same, but also add to look at that student individually. The family (led by a parent or guardian) might agree to get students to bed on time or work on homework. There could be certain, specific goals put into place that everyone agrees to up-front for the year. It would all be documented, signed, and then all parties would get a copy. And if someone wasn't holding up their end of the deal, another meeting could be had to re-adjust expectations or consequences.

Another frustrating part is that it's not just up to this triangle of partners-- family/student/teacher. There's a whole larger community involved. Principals, guidance counselors, pastors, neighbors, friends, bosses, city counsel workers, and Governors. And you. YOU are involved, whether you know it or not. So please, speak up for students and teachers. Educate yourself on what's going on in Education. And think about your role in this partnership.