Sample Essay On Exploring Parent And Teachers Contribution In My Education

Development of a child is one of the most important and focused areas these days. The financial crisis of 2008 provoked the parents not only to think more about their children’s education but also to focus on other activities which could groom their child. However, this level of focus is different among various communities . In the hometown, parents can succeed to focus on their children with less resource. The same is not true in communities where the parents have migrated from their country and are staying in a foreign country for a job or for work or for some other reason. Such parents are already preoccupied with many other tasks that restrict their ability to focus on their child’s development. It is true in the case of an American Indian. People who migrated from India to USA have to face multiple problems for better work opportunities and they have to react to each problem differently.
An American Indian child can witness and face many occasions when the reaction and response of the teachers as well as school communities is entirely different than their response with the natives. Schools in the USA are based on complete training for child models. Unlike India or some other countries, where the responsibility of the school ends when the child leaves the school premises, the practice is totally opposite in the USA. In such cases teachers, school authorities, and parents have to be in touch in order to achieve the objectives defined by the American education model.
The point of consideration is, whether the parents and school authorities are fulfilling these responsibilities properly or no? The answer is twofold. In fact, there are two models working simultaneously in this regard. The first one is where the native parents work for the development of their children and the second is where the foreigner parents try to focus on children’s development; while trying to make both ends meet in a foreign country.
This is not an easy task, in fact, one of the most difficult ones where parents are forced to pay proper attention at multiple fronts. Indian parents’ understanding about involvement with their children and their school activities is much different than those of the Native Americans (who themselves are brought up in the same environment). It would not be wrong to say that American Indian parents themselves are going through a learning phase where they are made to learn through implementation. Not all American Indian parents are comfortable with this practice. As they are not brought up in a similar environment; therefore, such approach is not embedded in their blood. American Indian child are also witness of such situations where feelings and preferences of parents are not matched with the feelings and preferences of American parents.
Furthermore, the response of American Indian parents is entirely different than the response of the American parents. The American Indian parents are not supposed to be guilty due to the effort they put in their work in order to remain a part of the respected community of America. Another aspect where this can be seen is that, such parents are originally not part of the American people; therefore, any value of efforts conveyed by their child’s school is not picked up by parents in the first effort. They specifically have to concentrate in order not only to understand what actually is conveyed by the school authorities but they also have to design the activities in order to fulfill the tasks provided by the school authorities. One must be familiar with the fact how much it is difficult to spare time for such value added activities in their busy routines. One thing that really helps in this regard is that in case, the activities are partially or completely unfulfilled these are taken up by the school authorities and gradually, the child covered up the deficiencies by mixing up their selves with other children.
Parental involvement holds an important value in the American culture. Unlike India, where Parents are supposed to visit the school twice a year, this practice is much common in American schools. Parents of diverse cultures are also made a part of this process through casual meetings, online collaborations, text messages and various other means.
Perception level is always different and things are perceived differently. School authorities are also very much careful in this regard. Sometime negative experiences can also help parents to develop an approach on their own. In case of any negative experience, parents keep up such experiences with them. They always recall the experience while having a meeting at a school or with teachers. Naturally, their own experience of being studied at some foreign country helps accumulate negative feelings and ultimately, all such things reside in the subconscious mind. Not all schools are designed and managed to cater the cultural differences. In any case, the school has to develop ad hoc strategies and plans in order to deal with the foreigners. These plans or strategies are not designed in advance by the school authorities but are developed at run time by the teachers or by the counselors facing the Indian parents. It is also true for the other side as well when the parents have to respond on the spot for all issues.
Variation in interpersonal communication is a must for all societies and for all individuals as well. American Indians, in this regard, have to face much difficulty. As the interpersonal skills vary therefore, American Indian parents have to take up things much differently than taking by the native parents. This affects the situation in two ways. Firstly, change in skill set helps them to perceive things from a different angle. Secondly, they feel a difficulty in matching the native parents. However, the first case seems to be true for most of the time and the second case comes to happen rarely.
In a few cases, American Indians prove to be more effective and efficient for example, activates related to social sciences and emotions. Indian parents not only picked up the activities more quickly, but also proved to be a valuable bridge between the two.

Works Cited

Birdsall, Nancy and Francis Fukuyama. New Ideas on Development after the Financial Crisis. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2011.
Mukherjee, Dilip K. and M. K. C. Nair. Growth and Development. Jaypee Brothers Publishers, 2008.
Spicer, Paul, Patricia Farrell and Michelle C. Sarche: Hiram E. Fitzgerald. American Indian and Alaska Native Children and Mental Health: Development, Context, Prevention, and Treatment: Development, Context, Prevention, and Treatment. ABC-CLIO, 2011.