http://work.mrdwab.com/2006-05-15/raising-parental-involvement-in-school/ ...random examples of my work throughout the years... Tue, 22 May 2012 20:13:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1 http://work.mrdwab.com/2006-05-15/raising-parental-involvement-in-school/#comment-2 Alex Mahto Tue, 08 Aug 2006 04:05:35 +0000 http://work.mrdwab.com/2006-05-15/raising-parental-involvement-in-school/#comment-2 Very interesting. You missed 2 elements pertinent to my behaviour, which you might find interesting. (1) Having been to Summerhill, I knew that my experience was totally unlike what you were experiencing, in T'dad or the US. I felt, though, that I would try to give you some of that "freedom" in whatever ways I could when it came to homework and just the whole extended family scene. Hence, learn by trial, but gentle guidance to protect; take the consequences if you do your own thing despite warning, but help you realize it will be ok in the end. Ethan and I talked about this once, and he had the same feelings in supporting Tacita's independence in growing up. (2) My experience with the school system in T'dad was that they did not want parental involvement because they thought it threatened their authority. That's where my sometimes subvertive habit of telling you to do as they say even if it's not fair, in order to keep peace, and then counter attack with your ideas in a presentation that is discreet or researched, to let them know you are on to their games. But that whole experience did make me reluctant to join in in the US, and as you have mentioned, I hardly understood their system, and felt you were all smart enough to figure that out among yourselves and your friends! Very interesting. You missed 2 elements pertinent to my behaviour, which you might find interesting. (1) Having been to Summerhill, I knew that my experience was totally unlike what you were experiencing, in T’dad or the US. I felt, though, that I would try to give you some of that “freedom” in whatever ways I could when it came to homework and just the whole extended family scene. Hence, learn by trial, but gentle guidance to protect; take the consequences if you do your own thing despite warning, but help you realize it will be ok in the end. Ethan and I talked about this once, and he had the same feelings in supporting Tacita’s independence in growing up. (2) My experience with the school system in T’dad was that they did not want parental involvement because they thought it threatened their authority. That’s where my sometimes subvertive habit of telling you to do as they say even if it’s not fair, in order to keep peace, and then counter attack with your ideas in a presentation that is discreet or researched, to let them know you are on to their games. But that whole experience did make me reluctant to join in in the US, and as you have mentioned, I hardly understood their system, and felt you were all smart enough to figure that out among yourselves and your friends!

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