Another Example Of What “Parent Involvement” Should Not Look Like…

How a fifth-grader spent his summer vacation on worksheets is the title of a post from Gotham Schools. It describes a school giving students a book billed as a “parent involvement resource” to complete over the summer. It’s basically a collection of mind-numbingly dull worksheets.

As a commenter on the blog suggests, why couldn’t the school just give the kid cash equivalent to the cost of the book so he could buy some books he wants to read?

2 thoughts on “Another Example Of What “Parent Involvement” Should Not Look Like…

  1. That idea was tried in England. It turns out there was a problem with the distribution of the
    P- cards and not all parents participated – did not make the time to buy the items needed. This idea was promoted by Michael Fullan

  2. Hi
    I do agree with Miss Eyre’s comment on that blog. However, many school have this method interlaced into their way of functioning and is hard to get them to change. We can probably combine Miss Eyre’s idea with the current system.
    The students can be given gift certificates and be asked to buy materials/books/resources required by them. The students can then use these to do a holiday project related to their curriculum and also prepare a short writeup on it. The teachers can give some ideas and set some parameters for this project.
    This, I feel, will give a more practical exposure to the students, in terms of reading, writing and actually “doing” something. This should also enhance the student’s interaction with their parents and peers and in this process will get to learn a lot. Worksheets can be done by students as a part of their homework during regular school. Teachers and schools should explore the possibilities of making students learn and simultaneously enjoy their learning experience during their vacations.
    These are some of my thoughts.

    Vytheeshwaran Vedagiri

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