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| (Image Source: Swirling Over Coffee/Facebook/DepEd NEAP) |
Teachers are often seen as a source of inspiration, courage, and hope when it comes to students’ education. But it is often forgotten that parents also play a critical role in the holistic development of a child’s schooling. In the second part of the “Exploring Parental Engagement Practice in the School” session of the 4th Professional Development Series for Teachers on Parental Engagement, it discussed how both teachers and parents need to work hand-in-hand in identifying the areas for growth, as well as the strengths they need to reinforce in their students.
The webinar was presented by Globe Telecom through its Global Filipino Teachers (GFT) program in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) – National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP). Through the session, the different types of parents were discussed by the educators. If you are a parent, you may even see yourself in the list:
• Kabute Parent – if you’re this kind of parent, you know that you are sometimes present or absent… just like mushrooms
• Nega Star Parent – dubbed as “nega” for negative, this one always has alibis and thinks that things aren’t easy as they may seem
• Bibong Parent – if we have the “nega star,” this one is the opposite. This type is always “positive” and always available
• Business-Minded Parent – it’s the one who always sees opportunities in things and circumstances
• Lutang Parent – parenting is indeed not an easy task especially if you have a lot of things on your plate so it is understandable that there is this type who always says, “Ay ano nga po ‘yun, Ma’am?” or “Ay nand’yan po pala kayo, Ma’am, ano nga po ang sinasabi niyo?”
Parents experience numerous challenges when it comes to balancing their household priorities, jobs, and volunteering time for their children’s schooling. A big factor is time, which could often limit one’s attention and energy in being more involved in their child’s schooling. That said, it becomes a concern for educators to face parents, most especially if they are experiencing concerns with household expenditures, are overprotective and controlling of their children, exposure to unsafe communities, and lack of awareness of current school systems. Keeping these challenges in mind, participating teachers were taught how to address the barriers through the 3Cs: Communicate, Collaborate, Create and ENGAGE the parents: Elicit parent’s concerns, Never judge, Gain their trust, Active Communication, Growth Mindset, and Empower.
“The collaboration we have with DepEd is one that helps catalyze the learning community to imbibe technology and new methods of learning to keep abreast of the times,” said Globe Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications and Chief Sustainability Officer Yoly Crisanto. She added, “We are glad to share knowledge and widen the perspective of our educators through this program, as we help them establish a better working relationship with parents for their students’ well-being and learning — especially now, as we adjust to a blended learning environment.” Being a strong advocate of 21st century learning, Globe has lined up a modified training series under its Global Filipino Teachers (GFT) program that covers digital literacy, parental support on digital learning, responsible online behavior, effective 21st century approaches to early language literacy, and psychological first aid. Those interested can access all four sessions on Parental Engagement: Building a Strong Culture of Parent-School Partnership on DepEd NEAP’s official Facebook page.
