Parents at Summerhill
Whereas inside the school there are “weak distinctions between public and private spaces” and boundaries in general are often rather weak, an example for which is that students of different age groups have lot more contact with each other than they do in regular schools6. A different example for weak boundaries in Summerhill is the close relationships between staff and students, pupils state “you know them as well as you know another child” .
When it comes to boundaries between the school and for instance student’s parents, it is handled quite contrarily. Parents are allowed to visit on specific visiting weekends, but apart from that, they are usually not involved in their children’s school life . If a child wishes his parents to remain uniformed about his curricular performance, the school may deprive the parents of their child’s reports . It is part of the school’s philosophy to allow children to live their own life without depending on their parents .
As a result, if all schools would follow the philosophy of Summerhill, British children would not only be separated from their parents as they visit a boarding school, the school’s philosophy would put an even greater distance between the relationships of parents and their children, which I believe to be incredibly problematic for many parents, as they wish to have a close relationship with their children. Plus, the idea most people have of a family, parents and their children living together and being united , would be distorted.
Accordingly, putting the Summerhill concept into practise throughout the country would increase the distance between children and their parents, which is undesirable for parents as well as for children and would cause major chang...
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...of the Relational Touch at Summerhill School, In: American Educational Research Journal, March 2008, p.13
Ian Stronach, Heather Piper: Can Liberal Education Make A Comeback? The Case of the Relational Touch at Summerhill School, In: American Educational Research Journal, March 2008, p.34, “ ‘it disrupts the whole life of the community to have people coming and going’ “ http://www.summerhillschool.co.uk/typical-summerhill-day.php, 26/02/14 “We do not send reports to parents unless they are needed for college or school recruitment. Children will be involved in this process.” http://www.summerhillschool.co.uk/the-very-basics.php, 21/02/14 http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/family, 21/02/14 http://www.summerhillschool.co.uk/the-very-basics.php, “we do have day pupils”, 25/02/14 http://www.summerhillschool.co.uk/the-very-basics.php, 25/02/14
hooks, bell. "Keeping Close to Home: Class and Education." The Presence of Others. 2nd ed. Andrea Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997. 85-95.
In the article “The New Liberal Arts,” Sanford J. Ungar presents the argument of why liberal arts schools are still competitive and useful today. The beginning of the article immediately addresses the problem that Ungar is defending, “Hard economic times inevitably bring scrutiny of all accepted ideals and institutions, and this time around liberal-arts education has been especially hit hard.” The author provides credibility through his time of being a liberal arts presidents, applies statistics about the enrollment and job security outside of liberal college, he addresses the cost factor and how a student may find compensation, and that a liberal arts college is not preparing students for success. The article “The New Liberal Arts,” addresses
There is a monthly open school morning that the PTO has in the auditorium for parents to come by and be informed about what is going on in the school. Various programs and grades offer workshops and meeting. Every Tuesday from 2:40pm- 4pm the school has that time frame allotted for parent engagement. Parents do not have to wait to meet with teacher on the two designated parents teachers conference. Each Tuesday, the parents can come in and meet with any of their child’s teachers without an appointment. The parents can discuss any concerns or issues regarding with their child’s academics or behaviors performance. Also, the school engages parents by using an electronic system called N-grade. N-grade is a parent portal where parents login and look at their child’s assignments. The portal shows their child’s assignment grades, missing assignments and assignments they can make up to earn back their grades.
Laurence, L (1967). Politics in Education. New York, NY: The Center for Applied Research in
Reading Mike Rose’s book Lives on the Boundary one can benefit from his efforts as a student and educator. It is a tool that can be used to motivate teachers to produce interesting lesson plans and to be aware of their students in all aspects. The book provides concrete examples of good and bad teaching all related through the author’s personal history. Finally, the book-as an account of one man’s personal struggle – reflects on the inner psyche of the marginal student and prompts the reader to be more attentive to each and every learner.
In today's school system, there have been uproars about the student's privacy and safety at the schoolhouse. Some parents feel that their child's safety is more important because of the rules that the school has set forth to maintain a safe environment. Others feel that their child's privacy should be taken seriously because they should be treated more like an adult. In recent news, there has been concerns about the student's safety that cause some to get injured or killed; while, student's privacy has cause the police to get involved. The school system should be concerned as well as, aware about the student’s privacy and safety at their prospective school.
Hooks, Bell. "Keeping Close to Home: Class and Education." The Presence of Others. Eds. Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997. 85-96.
...onomy. Day care can be a positive option for parents seeking help with child care. It is self-assuring for many parents that are struggling to raise a family while balancing job security, to know that there are a variety of options out there for the watching of children. As with any difficult task, the monitoring of child safety concerns should stay primarily as a parent’s number one responsibility and concern. Today there is government help and assistance by providing mandatory safety and ethics requirements that are enforced through safety-regulatory agencies and through inspections for compliance for the purpose of licensing approval. It is a welcome thought for parents to know that they may be doing their children a favor in using a day care, by helping their young ones become better prepared for kindergarten and giving them an opportunity to learn new skills.
Those one hundred and twenty kids that began the education process as strangers not only excel in learning together, they become friends, some lovers, others bitter rivals, but they all grow up together. They experience hardships, deaths of friends and loved ones,
After reading the book “Summerhill- a radical approach to child rearing” I came to know that Summerhill school is most unusual school that I have ever heard of. This school is different than others because it is a democratic school and has a unique system of teaching the children which means students are let free to do as they please. There is no any strict rules and regulations or punishments like we do have in other schools. Here, children learn more through their experience. Reading this book was exceptionally indulging, because every word in this book made me feel that the author really cares and want to help children to be happy. Happy in a sense that children can find his interest in which he can spend their whole life that he can adore.
After the initial contact, communication should remain constant. Also, remember that if all of the communication is about solving problems, the parent may feel attacked. Therefore, all communication should reflect concerns as well as successes and accomplishments regarding the child. Dialogue between the parent and teacher should be cooperative, helpful, and meaningful. Both p...
Dr. Ray’s nationwide research indicates that more than 90% percent of the parents do not hold valid, government approved teaching certificates (2009). Whereas, all teachers, both public and private, have those certificates, and are taught, trained and certified to teach each certain aged students (“Home Schooling” 2011). Since the quality of education neither monitored nor regulated by the government, it is doubtful to trust the quality of education that parents provide to their children (“Home Schooling”, 2011). Teachers and administrators firmly control the quality of education they provide to students. They are concerned not only with the academics, but also with the engagement of the students in extracurricular activities at the school. Therefore classroom education is able to provide socialization, which is an important aspect of youth
Parents who have had negative experiences in education may feel less inclined to be involved in their children’s education (Salend, 2015, pg. 178). LaRocque, Kleiman, and Darling (2011) identified parental involvement as a vital key in student success (pg. 117). If families feel uncomfortable because of prior discrimination or experiences with school, it can decrease parental involvement (Salend, 2015, pg. 178). In order to remedy these problems, schools can try a variety of solutions. Salend (2015) suggests inviting important extended family members to school events (pg. 178). This could help involve the patriarchs and matriarchs of the family and gain trust. Educators should try to address the elders first in order to show mutual respect. In addition to showing respect on a personal level, schools can gain trust by displaying respect in other ways. Making school facilities available for community activities makes the area seem more accessible and welcoming. It can also help parents build more positive experiences with the educational system and overcome the negative experiences. Furthermore, schools should decorate with various cultures in mind (Salend, 2015, pg. 178). Ultimately, if schools strive to create a more positive experience for families, they can better relate with one
Involving parents with school activities will benefit the school parent and the child. Teachers will have more help and will know the children closely if the parents are involved. Children feel happy and secure to see their parents around and it makes them confident too. We can start the involvement by inviting parents as volunteers for story reading and school outings. The importance of parental involvement is stressed in Lev Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory which states parents, caregivers, peers, and the culture at large were responsible for developing higher order functions. On the other hand, parents will also have a sense of inclusion in their child’s development process. Parents will share more family time and bonding with their young kids which supports the child’s psychological needs
hooks, bell, "Keeping Close to Home: Class and Education." Lunsford, Andrea and John Ruszkiewicz, The Presence of Others: Voices and Images That Call for Response 3rd ed. New York: St. Martin's 2000. 93-104.