Parent Involvement

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                 A few weeks ago I was trying to decide what topic to pick for my research project. I was torn between suicide and dysfunctional families, and after multiple conversations with my kids at work I have chosen parent/child relationships. Every child on my shift last Monday came to me individually, with an issue that was derived from their relationship with a parent. I didn't realize this until I found myself crying in the corner thinking about all the things they go through. I've concluded that no matter what the situation or issue is, they all  have one thing in common: They want to make their parent(s) proud, and they want their attention. I don't think society as a whole realizes the impact parents have on their children and their success.
                 In Prisoner B-3087, Yanek wants to make his father proud and looks up to him so much. It is Yanek's faith, taught from his father that keeps him going. In Speak, If Melinda's father would have called her back down stairs and had an actual conversation with her, would she still have lost her voice?  In Crank, Kristina's father does the drug with her and her mother is oblivious.  In Diary, Arnold is constantly reminding us that his father and tribe are drunks. However, it is his father's love and support that never turns Arnold against him. Parent's have flaws, addictions, and make mistakes. Rasing a child doesn't come with a manual and no one is perfect, but it is their responsibility to build a strong relationship with their child. A solid foundation is essential and critical for growth, and that solid foundation should start at home.
                 Some questions that drive this topic:
            1. How often do parents listen to their children? Not tell them, or ask them, but listen to them.
            2. How can we make parent's aware of the importance of their involvement without offending them?
            3. How many students in a classroom have a parent addicted to drugs/alcohol?
            4. How can schools incorporate character education, morals, and value into the curriculum?
            5. How can educators fill the void that student's have derived from parent involvement? 
             

Comments

  1. UnknownNovember 27, 2017 at 8:09 AM

    Yes! I love my parents to death but growing up their were some topics that I did not feel comfortable talking about with them. Now that I am a parent, my only hope is that my son and daughter will actually feel comfortable in coming to me with ALL their problems. I would like to do this without crossing that line of "I am your parent not your friend" type of deal. It is really hard, and like you mention, being a parent does not come with a manual (I wish it did sometimes)...

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  2. UnknownNovember 27, 2017 at 8:10 AM

    I love that you chose this topic Jess! Parent involvement is such a strong topic for a research paper. I definitely agree that parent involvement is overlooked in young adult literature. Since most of us are wanting to become teachers, i finding it very moving that you were so touched by each of their situations. You can probably incorporate most of the books on the syllabus to this topic, as we see most of them did not have strong family relationships in the story. I think this is also a touchy topic when it comes to some of the questions you chose to discuss, but they are definitely questions that need to be discussed! I feel like for that reason alone, some authors choose to leave it out when it in fact is what needs to be addressed.

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  3. UnknownNovember 27, 2017 at 8:10 AM

    Jess, I love that you decided to make a personal connection to what you plan to write about! Having that deep connection makes for a meaningful paper that you feel inspired to write, and just reading your post I feel inspired to read it. For additional questions, I was thinking:
    What about novels where the parents is absent altogether (be it from their lives or just the narrative)?
    How does adoption fit into this idea of parental involvement?
    And finally, can parents be too involved with their children, such as Kristina's father in "Crank"?

    Overall, I love your mindset and direction with this topic and I know you'll do well!

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  4. UnknownNovember 27, 2017 at 8:12 AM

    I love how much you are involved with your kids at work. Your passion for them really shows through in everything you talk about. I agree that parental involvement is HUGE and effects every single person. It is refreshing to hear the same thing from many different kids about wanting to make their parents proud. Everyone wants to make their parents proud, just no one talks about it. It is so crazy that you're able to pull all of these examples from all of our texts! It obviously shows the importance of parental involvement. I think that all of your questions are phenomenal and cover a lot of important topics involving parents. Awesome topic!

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