Sources and Plagiarism

How involved should parents be in their child's classroom?

           For my education class on human growth and development, I wrote a short essay for my final exam where I engaged "in academic inquiry uising and evaluating a variety of sources, incorporating and documenting source material appropriately, and avoiding plagiarism." My final exam was completed using APA formatting, and I made sure to document my sources accurately. I used the sources to provide information and facts, and then I gave my opinion about what the sources were stating and how it could be used in the classroom. My reaction to the sources I used is visible when I state that parents should be able to visit their children's classes, but not too often because it could cause distractions. This is a response to Houghton's belief that parents and teachers need a relationship where they can communicate easily and how parents should be able to be involved in the classroom.

            A classroom that could create a positive learning environment has to be accepting and have a safe atmosphere. The teacher is responsible for creating a classroom where its students are comfortable and feel at ease. Parents can be difficult to deal with, but if the teacher collaborates with the parents, children will be able to learn new things at home and school. To promote positive social cognition, the teacher has to adjust to new students and try to make everyone feel comfortable enough to share their thoughts and feelings.

            I agree with Patricia Houghton that students should help decorate and arrange the classroom so that they feel that their opinion matters and it is a way to make connections with students (Houghton, 2001). The look and feel of the classroom matters because students will be spending many hours each day in the room. To discard stereotypes and prejudices, students could share photos of their families that could be displayed throughout the classroom. Also, students should do projects or assignments with different children in the class, not just the same friends for every project so that they can meet new people and realize that diversity can be positive.

            Teachers can develop strategies for creating positive social cognition by doing projects on different historical figures from their perspectives, or rewriting stories from another character’s point of view (McDevitt & Ormrod, 2010, p. 474). Children should be able to share their opinions without worrying about being ridiculed, so the teacher needs to create a classroom environment that is open minded. Trust must be established in the classroom so that creativity can flourish. If a teacher has a child with special needs, they should try to make the child feel accepted and like everyone else. They will have to adjust their teaching style to work with the child’s needs so that they do not fall behind.

            I personally like the idea of a comment box in a classroom so that if a child has something they want to say, but they want it to be anonymous, they can just write it on a piece of paper and drop it in the box. There also needs to be a zero tolerance policy on bullying so that children can feel safe in school; a child will not be able to interact and learn when they are worried about their safety. I also believe that a teacher should not force his beliefs on his students, but should accept all his students’ ideas and faiths (Gibbs, 2005).

            Parents’ involvement in the classroom is a tricky situation because children should learn how to be independent, but parents can also be an asset to teachers. Teachers should talk to parents and tell them what their child needs to improve on, and what they can do at home to help their child (Houghton, 2001). I feel that parents should be allowed to visit the classroom occasionally, but not too often because they could become a distraction. Teachers should set clear boundaries with parents so that parents know what to expect, but teachers need to acknowledge that parents will have concerns about their children and should be able to freely express them. I do not think that parents should be able to choose the teacher that their child receives because it is not fair to other students and it does not give students different experiences with teaching styles (Gibbs, 2005).

            Children learn best in an environment that is friendly and accepting; teachers have to work hard to create a safe atmosphere for their classrooms. Parents and teacher need to be amiable so that the child’s needs are put first and they can work as a team to meet those needs. Promoting positive social cognition will help create a classroom where students feel accepted and they are able to learn that everyone is unique.

Works Cited

Gibbs, N. (2005, February 21). Parents behaving badly. Time, 125-131.

Houghton, P. (2001). Finding allies. Phi Delta Kappan, 706-711.

McDevitt, T.M. & Ormrod, J.E. (2010). Child development and education. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.