Bringing PRIDE to Parent Engagement
By Connie K. Grier, M.Ed.
Parental Engagement is not isolated to either the school or home sphere. It is an ongoing, daily event that must occur in both sectors. When increasing the level of parental engagement, remembering the following has the potential to positively enhance both home based and school based engagement levels:
Parental Engagement is Cyclical
One day will not necessarily look like another day in terms of the intensity of the engagement; however engagement must take place on some level every day. Consider the nurturing required when growing a beautiful rose garden as an example. The gardener spends maybe one or two days a year in the yard dropping the seeds and tiling the soil that produces those beautiful buds; however those seeds must be watered, receive adequate sunlight, and be fed through nourishing soil daily.
Effective Parental Engagement is not Always Pleasant
It will require that the tough decisions be made by parents that are in the best interest of the child. This does not translate to "the decisions that are most liked by the child". As parents, friendship with our children is a dish best served in the latter adult years, if ever at all. While parents are partially responsible for the happiness that children experience, serious decisions should not be made based on their popularity. Some days you will want to hug your children to death because you are so proud; others you will want to exile them to