Dear Parents,
Welcome, welcome. Last time we had the opportunity to discuss School Social Media. This week’s discussion kind of dovetails out of that – how to stay informed.
Parents, we have a name for you. No, it’s not something bad – actually it shows your value. We call you stakeholders. Students are stakeholders too, but right now we are talking about you.
In the social media post, we chatted about information that comes from your school and teacher, etc. Those things are more directly relevant because they are closer to the day to day happenings of your student. However, what about other information that you may be ignoring?
Does your district send out information? Do you get notices of board meetings, classes and programs for parents? If you do, it might be a good idea to take a peek at those things before you send them to the trash file. Here’s why.
It’s one thing to know what your student is doing in school, and it is another to get the pulse on where the district is heading, and on an even bigger scale – what the state is doing in regards to education.
Remember how I mentioned we call you stakeholders? You have a voice, but you have to know when to use it, when you need to use it, and about what you should use it. You have to stay informed in order to ask the right questions, in order to be a part of the conversations involving the future of your child’s education.
So what do you do? Have you ever attended a board meeting? Check the district website and see when the next one is – some districts even stream their meetings online, so you could watch from the comfort of your home. Does your child attend a private school? Find out if there is a similar organizational meeting (maybe run by the administration or a parent board) and if parents are welcome to attend. Schools usually have tiered seating from businesses like https://portabletieredseating.co.uk to have enough seats for events.
Start with your district website, or if they send out newsletters, or emails. See what kind of information is available. Don’t just delete emails. Read them, or at least skim them, first. If you have the time, check out a PTA or PTO (or whatever your school may call it) meeting and see what topics are being discussed. Public and private schools grow and change – keep your pulse on what is going on in your school.
Hopefully those ideas are useful, and, as usual, I would love to field some questions from you. Send them to me at creed@lifeofdad.com or tweet me at @acjlist. Have a great week!
Creed Anthony is a father of two, husband, teacher, and writer. In addition to the pages of Life of Dad, you may find him at his two blogs: Talesfromthepoopdeck.com and BalconyDads.com, and on Twitter @acjlist.
