| TEAM - A Parent Support Group |
Parent involvement can be referred
to in several different terms such as home-school relationships, family-school
involvement, home-school collaboration, and home-school partnerships, although
these terms encompass a wide range, they adequately define parent involvement
in TEAM. Parent involvement in
TEAM has broader implications and relies on graduated life-learning experiences
for all members. The broader underlying factor or basis of the group rests in
the ability to act individually in some instances and then collectively in
others depending on the circumstances in order to accomplish diverse tasks
ranging from simple to complex. The individual and collective aspects of TEAM
highlight the dual efforts needed to build the connection between the school
and team members. The worth and power of individual and collective endeavors
become an opening for personal growth, thus releasing parents and students from
invisibility and equally as significant creating space for the exchange of new
discourses.
TEAM initially is energized by the
individual and collective efforts of teachers nurturing and supporting parents
and students. Quickly, positive momentum surges and TEAM membership increases
with parents and students. The goal is for the initial energy of teachers to
become infectious and spread to all TEAM members. Consequently, each TEAM
member helps to enact positive change through dedication and participation
thereby causing a snowball effect within the communication system of the school
arena. The contagious energy level results in collective and magnified
differences in the world and these differences can be instrumental in education
if manifested as renewed, revitalized, and/or newly discovered discourses of
teacher/parent/student voices. In order to accomplish this endeavor, TEAM
focuses on eight essential posits:
- Helping students and parents to navigate the
educational system
- Helping “hard to reach/low profile” parents and
students recognize and express their voices
- Exposing students to options for life after high
school
- Modeling “how to” advocate for self
- Providing motivating experiences for students and
parents to pursue school involvement on multiple levels
- Encouraging community assistance and participation
- Enhancing academic achievement
- Developing leadership skills of students and parents
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