Middle School Orientation

Well, my middle school children have just experienced orientation at their new school. The event was organized so that all new students (both 7th and 8th graders) could do activities together in groups of 10 – 12, facilitated by 8th grade students. The groups played name games and listened to speakers. They took tours of the building and saw their new schedules.

Parents could come later and meet with teachers and counselors. We were invited to sign up for the PTA and for the Parks and Recreation middle school events. Athletic packets were passed out and parents were encouraged to pay for their child’s hot lunch.

As a former middle school teacher, I was pretty impressed with the enthusiasm of the student leaders and faculty present at the event. My only concern, after talking with someone else who had taken off work to attend the event, was that as well-run as the afternoon was, the timing was not well-suited for those families in which both parents worked day jobs. Although there were many parents present, I now wonder how many other parents could have attended had the event been held in the evening.

These are things as schools that we need to think about… 20 or 30 years ago, most moms were at home during the day and could pick up and leave to run errands or assist in a classroom or attend an orientation in the middle of the day. The times are different now. Most women work a full-time job and take care of their children. Many women and even some men are single parents. How can we think about doing things differently to accommodate the different needs of our society so that all parents and guardians can participate in the education of our nation’s children?

Yesterday I paid my PTA dues and signed up to participate in this “mechanism” for the first time in my children’s educational journey. Why had I not signed up before? We were busy at nights. After teaching a full day, I did not have the energy to be out for hours at night as well, in addition to athletic events and church. Furthermore, the PTA groups always seemed to be comprised predominantly by the stay-at-home mothers with whom I had little in common. I do not know how my experience will be here, but I have joined. I am committed to challenging traditional thinking and trying to help create a parent-community-school partnership that is inclusive, not exclusive.

Stay tuned for the next installment – the elementary open house…