Prompt #5: Delpit

Working with families in schools can be a very tricky subject. After all, all parents want the best for their children, but what’s the best for one student may not be the same for another. In this rough economy especially, more parents work more to support their families, which could sometimes bring the illusion that the parents don’t care because they are not always physically, or mentally, home.
As human beings first, teachers second, we will always try to protect our students. Since all family lives are not the same, we would work hard to make sure that the “not so good” situations are not brought to the attention of the other students. But does that mean that students with the “better” home lives should not get help from their willing families?
I think it is the responsibility of the culturally competent teacher to know the backgrounds of his/her classroom. I do not see a lot of family involvement in my classrooms. Unfortunately, if families are brought in, it is for a negative reason. If the child is misbehaving, I’ve heard teachers threaten to call parents. This is unfortunate because if family involvement is only used in that way, it can never be seen positive.
It can be complicated to communicate with parents, but according to Lisa Delpit, it must be done. It is important for parents to be as connected as students. Power must be translated to parents as much as students. Delpit highlights five aspects of power:
I. Issues of power are enacted in classrooms.
2. There are codes or rules for participating in power; that is, there is a "culture of power."
3. The rules of the culture of power are a reflection of the rules of the culture of those who have power.
4. If you are not already a participant in the culture of power, being told explicitly the rules of that culture makes acquiring power easier.
5. Those with power are frequently least aware of ~ or least willing to acknowledge -its existence. Those with less power are often most aware of its existence.
Of these, I can summarize a statement that parents be included in the culture of power, and be told the rules, so they can help their children relate to the culture of power. I have been thinking a lot about this subject a lot, and I cannot find a perfect solution to including parents the right amount, however, I think there are some alternatives. In my classroom, I would start the year with sending a letter home to parents saying that if they want to volunteer to come in to read to the class. I would set aside days where the parents could sign up and if they wanted to sign up they could, if they could not or did not want to, they did not have to. Since it would not be something the students would keep track of, they would not know if other parents did not come in. I feel like this would start the year on a positive note, and encourage parents to work with their students all through the year.