Monday 11 March 2019

"Family and School Should Walk Together"




I was given the gift of a new perspective.

After over 20 years in education, as an educational assistant, teacher, and now school administrator (not including my own experiences as a "less than successful" student), I thought I had a pretty good sense of the education system - both the benefits and the challenges.

But this past week, through conversations with two families who are new to Canada, I gained a deeper understanding, and an even deeper sense of responsibility. 

In one conversation, a parent was looking for ways to connect her son to the school community. An ELL student who was older than some of his classmates, he was struggling to find a place to belong. An energetic and outgoing student in his home country of Brazil, the parent was beginning to see her son withdraw, and was understandably worried. 

I assured her that there were opportunities for her son, both in the classroom and through extra-curricular clubs and sports. As we talked, she shared with me some of his interests and together, we brainstormed ways to connect him to various groups within the school. I then met with her son to get a sense of how he was feelings and what he envisioned for himself. I assured both the student and the parent that I would continue to follow up and check in regularly to see how the plan that we'd created was unfolding. 

Ultimately, I did what any school administrator would do. As a vice principal, and a mom of a teenaged boy myself, I try to see every student through the eyes of a concerned parent. I treat them how I want my own son to be treated.

In a follow up email, the mother expressed her gratitude and her trust in the decisions that we made and founded that trust in the belief that "the family and school should walk together". This phrase stuck me. I was touched, and somewhat overwhelmed, by the trust she placed in the school. Not only did she expect that I would do the best for her child, it was an integral belief based on her perspective on the Canadian education system. To a large extent, it was why her family moved here. 

The second conversation was also with a family who was new to Canada. This time, both the mother and father came to my office. In the same way, they sat with me and shared their concerns for their son. Having moved numerous times over the past several years, back and forth from Saudia Arabia, the son was experiencing significant stress and anxiety. He began to avoid school, not because it was an unpleasant place for him, but because he was needing the comfort of his family home. Both parents shared heartfelt worries and hopes for their son. Through several conversations, I learned more about their family, their goals and their struggles. Again, the Canadian education system was a motivator in their move. And again, they expressed their trust and faith in me to do my best for their son. 

The irony is not lost on me that as someone who has spent the majority of their life either as a student or as an educator, it took the perspective of individuals who are new to this system to remind me of the integral role of schools. Not only are we supporting the success of individual students, we are also sometimes a vessel for the hopes and dreams of entire families. 

It was an incredible reminder that, "family and school should walk together" to support our students.










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