I got this comment from a parent on Tuesday when I blogged about Grandparents Day.
You would probably hate me in real life.
I'm the mom who never shows up for anything. I hate "facetime" at school. I have tons of facetime with my kids after school.
The grandparents, though, can still be seduced. I'll send them your way.
I'm the mom who never shows up for anything. I hate "facetime" at school. I have tons of facetime with my kids after school.
The grandparents, though, can still be seduced. I'll send them your way.
I had to look twice to make sure I read it right. I hope that any parents that put in "facetime" in my classroom do it for their child, not for me. Parent involvement and attention is a form of acknowledgment for your child!
Research shows that children do much better in school when parents communicate regularly with teachers and make efforts to become involved in the school. Even if it's only once a year, and you have to take a half-day off from work to do so, I would recommend that you do it. Come and spend time in your child's classroom, or just have lunch. I see my students get so excited when they see their parent in our classroom. It sends a very powerful message to the child that you care about her as well as her education.
In most schools, you don't need an excuse to visit the classroom. Just ask the teacher if you can come in to volunteer, join the class on a field trip, tutor, or just come for a special event.
In the short time I have been a part of the blogging world, I have been so impressed by Moms like Adrienne, Debbiedoos, ~J, Shell, Debbie- Single Complicated, Velvet Over Steel, and Kelly who blog about helping in the classroom, going on a field trip, or just having lunch with their child. I wonder how they would respond if you asked one of their children if the "facetime" made a difference. Adrienne and Velvet have blogged about how hurt their child was at the lack of involvement in school activities from an absentee Dad.
Tomorrow night I will have my annual party for my class in my home. We will have pizza, juice boxes, and special activities. The boys get to play in the tree-house we built for our daughter when she was little and play ball. The girls are going to get a manicure. Then we are all going to watch a movie. I wonder how my little charges would react if I told them " Sorry.....no party! I have plenty of facetime with you during school! I don't need anymore."
Let me throw that question out to all the Moms and Dads out there. What do you think about "facetime" in the schools?
