As a parent, life in general has gotten very busy compared to how things were 10-20 years ago. It’s harder to stay on top of things and yet be involved in our children’s education to the level we should be to understand and be a part of what’s going on in their lives. We live in an age where the most common and easiest method of communication is using some sort of technology — whether it be email, texting, or social networks. We use these methods regardless of who we need to communicate with — from our professional contacts at work to our dearest family members.
With technology enveloping our every daily interaction, it boggles my mind that schools have not adapted to the times with regard to how they communicate with parents. Our schools are trying to educate our children to be as technologically savvy as possible so they will be prepared to face the world once they are on their own.
Yet, when it comes to parent-teacher communications, we are still dependent on paper and pens. I am still required to fill out forms manually to enroll my kids in school; I have to sign up for school activites and potlucks on a sign-up sheet that is stuck on the door of my child’s classroom. I have to call and make an appointment for a parent-teacher meeting as opposed to being able to schedule it online. We are in an era where our most important decisions that we have to make about anything can be executed online. Why can’t communicating and interacting with our schools be facilitated online as well? If it were more convenient to interact with my school, I definitely think I would be a more involved and informed parent.
The lack of convenience with regard to signing up for school ativities makes me less interested in what’s happening and, in fact, I feel less informed and am inclined to be less proactive to obtain information. Think of all the things we are able to do online now….book airplane tickets, invite people for events, keep in touch with hundreds of people at the same time, pay bills and keep track of finances…the list is endless. With the number of things we can do online to make our lives more convenient, I would think that being involved in our children’s school activities and interacting with our school and teachers should top the list! We really need make communicating with our schools easier – in a sense, at our fingertips – no matter where we are or what time it is.
-A parent