Perspective of Parent University

“A parent is their child's first teacher" is a phrase we have all heard, but one I believe wholeheartedly and personally elucidated seven and half years ago when I became a parent myself .
As a parent of three, I understand the weight of my guidance and support in shaping their little minds to reach their potential. It also helps me better relate to the barriers of balancing personal, family and work schedules parents face. Layering onto this load the second guesses and doubts, I find myself in a perpetual state of wondering if I'm doing the best for my children, one through many conversations have come to understand is also a common struggle among all who hold the important title of parent.  Instead of finding defeat in my continual quest to be adequate enough to call myself mommy to the precious little ones under my care, I can use it to drive a better understanding for the students I see each day and their parents that also send their little darlings to school each day. We may differ in the tools we bring to the table, however, one thing we share is the desire to see our children happy and successful.
As Mrs. Fink stated in her post about Parent University, 'The key piece missing was we had not been serving the needs of the whole family. I began to realize how important it was to fill the parent tool belt with the hammers, wrenches, nails, and glue of life. I began to realize their dreams would not be built if not given the proper tools to do so.'

Along with teacher Ashley Kasnicka, I just completed a three session course in technology determined a need through parent surveys. As I anticipated, we had "students" of varying exposure and technological knowledge. Ana Villafranca, a parent and staff member herself, was not only able to translate but connect as a parent. We focused our efforts on allowing parents to see the resources organized on our school website, access the resources offered through the Google Apps we are currently using with students as well as address specific questions and concerns. We tried to create the same risk-free climate and exude transparency of all being continual learners whether a teacher, student or parent. Through our time together we set up emails to increase home-school communication avenues, showed translation tools to empower parents in removing some language barriers, and began to explore the organizational resources of Google Drive. I know these resources have drastically impacted my life, but for different reasons than revealed through our class feedback. Whereas I saw these resources as not tying me to dependence on a single computer, providing flexibility in where I am able to work and an easier way to simultaneously collaborate, parents expressed excitement in the ability to store documents through free programs and alleviating language barriers which only highlighted how single tools benefit in different ways. The barrier of knowing our children were well taken care of was removed so we could focus our time in deepening knowledge of these resources.

One parent thanked us for helping her with email because "now I don't have to depend on my husband for this" and another thanked us multiple times for helping him feel better about technology so he can keep up with with his boys.

Relationships were built, trust was solidified, and increasing knowledge in technology became an added bonus. I look forward to additional success stories stemming from Parent University at Jones Elementary as I know this new venture will only continue to yield positive results.