Entry #21: "Will parents always rank sports
and music ahead of math and science?"

St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana -- The day finally arrived for the long anticipated "SEDL" meeting. Since 1997, a group of parents, students, school staff and community members have been gathering each month planning, communicating and socializing. According to Southeast Educational Development Laboratories, the instigator of this Collaborative Action Team, they should represent a broad spectrum of the community and are sort of a combination advisory council such as I encountered in Florida and the parent-teacher organizations found everywhere.

Principal Larry Cowen had warned me that attendance might be down due to the construction and lack of parking at the school. Still, with the invitation over the morning announcements to ALL students (refreshments will be provided!!) and the flyer that went home to ALL parents, I expected a group near the 50 reported in the news article 16 months ago.

There were 12 of us. A school board member, several parents and a high school student gave the group a sense of representation from the community, but Principal Cowen and I were both disappointed. Surely, the lack of attendance had to do with the aforementioned parking problem, or just a busy time of year. Mr. Cowen explained some of the efforts taken previously to draw in parents. Appeals through the media, food, flyers, signs and phone calls -- it seems like everything has been tried.

Then, I went upstairs to the band room for a meeting with new parents to go over the upcoming parade expectations. Just counting parents, there were almost 50!! True, Mardi Gras parades are a big deal here -- bands sign contracts and are paid for marching -- but why did these parents overcome the obstacles and show up when they didn't for the earlier meeting? Our boys brought home a note asking for our attendance if we planned to march with the kids. Many parents will be alongside the band in one of the four scheduled parades, making sure the lines are straight, uniforms in order and that nothing interferes with a chance to win the competition. It is exciting, a neat way for kids and parents to do something together and an experience we don't have in Seattle.

But band is optional. Students won't be held back for a poor performance as they will on next month's LEAP tests. The results won't be recorded and follow them on to high school as will their grades. Is it just not possible to expect parents to become involved in the decisions at school or in their kid's academic progress? As to time and interest shown, will parents always rank sports and music ahead of math and science?

At the end of the band meeting, one of the three parents who attended the SEDL meeting stood up and made an appeal to come to next month's meeting. A parent next to me said she"would have come but just didn't know." Flyers were given to all 600 students as reminders of this meeting just as they were given to the 80 band students reminding parents of that meeting. Same method used, but different results.

Somehow, our schools are going to need to impress upon parents the importance of their involvement in ALL parts of school.

A teacher who knows how to get parent participation!

I have just the right person to get this started here at Beauregard Middle School. Veteran sixth grade Science teacher Karen "Kitty" Klaus has 92% of her homeroom students' parents involved in checking their work at home. The day starts with all students having their daily agendas open while Ms. Klaus moves around the room checking for signatures. If the parent did not sign, the student must get the signature the following day. 23 out of 25 consistently sign. When sending home the test folder for parent signature, she requires they bring it back signed. If it is not, she gives the parent the chance to come in to sign.

She has offered to come to the home for some unsigned folders and misplaced homework assignments, but parents have found ways to get it done without the visit. She is organized and persistent. Involvement is required, period. Does it help? The average number of failing students in her classes is less than half of that for the school as a whole. Kids make sure they get their science done and parents to check it.

Are we to the point where we can require parent participation? I think so. Maybe instead of trying to entice parents to show up, we need to insist on it. We might be going about it all wrong. There is too much at risk to resort to bribing parents to be involved. To march in the parade, show up to the meeting. To keep your child in class, come to open house, put in an appearance to at least one advisory meeting. Lets get tougher like Kitty has. It sure can't hurt.

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Comments from Corrine Lee's family diary:

Hi! As I worked in the office this week, the ranger tells me there are two kinds of mosquitoes in Louisiana. Mosquitoes that go through the screen door and those that open them. She is not kidding. I am covered again in mosquito bites. Why do they just like me? So, my legs itch REAL BAD. It seems that with the rains come the mosquitoes. They are laughing at me and said I better high tail it out of here before summer or the mosquitoes will be carrying me off.

We have encountered yet another unique creature. At night they peep (make noise) across the water. They look like a cross between an otter and a rat. The rat side won out though; the otter part is just that they can swim. They also come out at night and scare the peewadin out of you. The people down here eat them, can you imagine? The name of these wonderful varmints are Nutria.

Well, we have combed the French quarter and Bourbon Street. The verdict is its full of allllll sorts of good and evil. (Darrell says evil wins out.) Bourbon Street is like Sodom and Gomorrah. They have to hose the street down each morning. Does that tell you anything? Its full of color and noise. The kids looked and asked tons of questions which we all answered.

The French Quarter looks like a small part of Europe, lots of neat balconies. On every street corner there are musicians of all kinds -- mimes, tap dancers and general entertainers. They all wants tips of some kind. Well, Tyler got it in his head that he wanted a pair of shoe tappers. After several days of trying to get me to drive into town we finally did and he knew where he could buy a pair. So, now he is the proud owner of a set of clappers. (Thats what I call them). After several minutes of attempting to tap out a jig he said, "Boy its harder then it looks." When he gets something in his head he won't quit til he has it accomplished.

Darrell has been involved in school more than usual this time. On Friday the 8th grade history teacher said to him "Okay Darrell, you have the class on Monday, the whole day." His response was "OOOOkay, sure." What he had in mind was the period that Ian was in. He'll do fine, I know.

Tyler decided that he needed to make some money. So he came up with the "Darren Larpentuer" method. Those of you that know Darren know that means the car wash routine. So off Tyler goes through the campground with his bucket and supplies. We were in the trailer hoping not everyone would turn him down. I go looking for him awhile later and there he is washing a small fifth wheel. He made $20 dollars!