On September 14, 2010, I presented a 7-minute speech at my children's elementary school at the "Meet-The-Teacher" Night Open House on a topic that I had prepared for the Educational Change project for Nature of Schools with Dr. Smirnova that I took during the Summer II semester at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, NY.
The project's hypothesis was that if schools are already presenting their students with the Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports program, then parents should pick up on this and adopt its principles at home. I theorized that this would make an even more powerful connection between home and school and would necessarily have a significant effect on the reduction of disciplinary issues that occur at school and thereby create more time for learning.
In July 2010, to fulfil this project's requirements, I approached our elementary school vice-principal with this hypothesis. She was thrilled to announce that the school was putting into place just such a program for the 2010-2011 school year! At about the same moment that I was going to volunteer to help in implementing that program whether on my own as a parent or via the school's PTSO, the vice-principal asked me if I would give a speech, albeit a brief one, at the upcoming Open House. Needless to say, with nervous excitement, I agreed to speak. She was particularly comfortable with me doing this because she knew from prior conversations, from prior academic projects, and from knowing my own two children, that I already practiced these philosophies at home. I am also a familiar face to many parents since I have been very involved at the school since my son started Kindergarten in 2005.
I drafted the potential speech and then met with the VP once to go over the ideas contained within it. She read it and approved of the content and said that the presentation style would be up to me. I chose a speech context, podium and microphone, but I rehearsed it so that I could just speak to the parents rather than read the speech.
Before I spoke that evening, a very dedicated woman from our local school bus company spoke on the PBIS topic. I didn't know she would be there and I found it hard to follow her. She was so complete in her information about how to use the PBIS the children were already learning at school to connect with what expectations there were of them on the bus and even at home. But, nonetheless, I was introduced by the VP, and advised the parents that I only had 7 minutes more of their time. I sensed that they were anxious to go meet their children's teachers, so I even edited the speech as I delivered it.
I anxiously watched the crowd as I spoke for spontaneous reactions to presenting them with this "new" idea of "catching their children being good" rather than always giving them attention when they were misbehaving. I saw some "eye rolls" but I saw some deep nods of approval and interest as well. I made sure that the speech pointed out that the children will make this easy for the parents to do at home because they already were involved in the program 8 hours per day at school.
At the close, I did receive applause, but I will never know if that was due to my ideas or due to their relief that the speaking was over and they could move onto their children's classrooms!
My goal was to reach just one person with this idea of acknowledging a child's positive behaviors. If one child was spared the degrading, self-esteem depleting comments that so many parents so easily and thoughtlessly pile onto their children of any age, my efforts will have been successful.
I believe today's schools must embrace the philosophies of community building through creating a positive learning environment and that parents must also embrace these ideas at home to bring about the consistency that children require for healthy maturation. After all, parents and teachers must share the same goal of raising children into adults that will be productive members of society, however we define productive.
In conclusion, I learned that believing in something very strongly gives you endless energy to be involved in "it." I learned that I can possibly teach adults as well as children. I learned that there is absolutely NO substitute for planning ahead and for being prepared. Preparation leads to confidence. I learned that I can be a credible advocate for an idea. I learned that I can write and deliver an actual speech and not just an extemporaneous discussion that I am usually comfortable with.
I turned a project for class that was largely going to remain hypothetical into a platform for
opening people's minds. I had the opportunity to make this project authentic. I learned the value of that authentic connection and truly realized its necessity with lesson planning as well.
Wendy S.
PS- As a footnote, today, Sept. 20, 2010, I learned of possibly that one person whose mind I opened. I went into our school today and the VP showed me a paper towel she had found in the cafeteria the day after the Open House. The note was in pen and was about three sentences telling a child how proud that this mom was of the great start to this school year the child was having and how the child should keep up the good work.
I was proud of that mom and proud to have possibly been the one that presented her with this idea.
