LEARNING AS FAMILIES

Education Week takes the classroom to the world
and parents into the classroom

March 2-7 is Education Week, and the Terrace
Review invited the chairman of School District 88
and the primary school program coordinator for the
district to offer their views on issues in education.
The theme for Education Week is involving parents in
the education of their children.

One of the most significant factors influencing
whether or not a child will go to university is

In order to make teachers more available to
parents, the district has set aside two half-days for
parent teacher interviews; for parents who are too
busy to visit the schoo] on a regular basis, we are
increasing the number of phone lines into each school
so that teacher-parent contact will be more conveni-
ent.

We have also set aside some funds to make

parental expectation. This was the surprising

result of a study done by Northwest Com-
munity College and School District 88 about
northern students attending university.

The expectation was that financial con-
- cerns would be the decisive factor, but par-
ental expectations turned out to be much
more important. Soif you want your children
to succeed in school and go on to university,
your attitude can make the difference.

Arecent survey of 10,000 principals con-
firms that parents have a key role to play in
helping kids to learn. Principals said parents
can make a dramatic difference in how well
students achieve.

The new British Columbia Schoo! Act
also recognizes the important role of parents
by defining parents’ entitlements and re-
sponsibilities in regard to their children as
students and in regard to their children’s
schools, through Parent Advisory Councils
(PAC’s).

Since schooling is only one aspect of a
child’s education, it is essential for schools to
work in close cooperation with the home and
the community. The teachers, staff and
school board of School District 88 want the
parents to know how much we welcome and
appreciate parental involvement in our

schools.

Hot dog day — courtesy of parents — at Kiti K’shan.

Please take the time to get to know your
child’s teacher. Be sure to make contact on a
regular basis so that you can celebrate the good
times and help teacher and child through any diffi-
cult times they may encounter.

The school board is trying to help parent-school
interaction by empowering the schools. This means
we want toe encourage more decision-making at the
school level, and this process will include the parents
through the Parent Advisory Councils. Please try to
attend the PAC meetings at your school and influ-
ence the quality of your child’s education through
your participation.

30 Terrace Review — February 28, 1992

school entrances less institutional and more inviting
to parents and other visitors.

There is no doubt that the information explosion
has made it necessary for the education system to
change and many parents are concerned about that
change. The familiar past practices of passing infor-
mation from one generation to the next are no longer
an adequate way to prepare our children for the
future they must face. Critical thinking, problem-
solving and information processing are the skills they
will need.