In attempt to change this Yvonne requires each parent to come to school and volunteer at least 30 hours per year. If this time is not fulfilled in the time that school is in session, they are required to pay a fee of about 130 dollars or so. To volunteer 30 hours in 10 months, this is not asking much. As far as my students go, I have not seen one parent come to school to volunteer time. We have a student in first grade that is a little terror and never gets anything done. He also keeps others from getting work done. His mom now comes three times a week and it is amazing the changes that boy has made. He is now getting A's on his report card. This helps to prove that when an adult puts interest in their children, they tend to do better. With my class, there is no parental help or guidance at all. However, Thursday morning, I turned around to find Mrs. Beauregard in my class with a parent, saying he was volunteering for the morning. Finally, a parent is trying to make a difference in my class. I was excited.
Growing up, whenever a volunteer was in the class, they were put to work, helping students with homework, helping watch the class; you know, just another set of eyes to keep everything in line. I thought this was going to be great. I let the parent know what we were doing, thinking he would jump in to help. However, he pulled up a chair, sat at the edge of the room and just watched. No smile, no frown, no movement, just staring. I didn't know if he was staring at his kid, using the silent treatment to get him to work, or staring at me, trying to make me nervous, but this is how I took it.
Now I have never had anyone watch me teach that knows anything about it. Not one adult has watched me teach, not even sat in for five minutes. Every now and then and adult or Mrs. Beauregard will walk through, but never stop and listen for a bit. Therefore, this made me quite nervous to have another adult in the class, possibly judging my teaching style. having another set of "watchful eyes" in the classroom is always enough to make a teacher be on THEIR "A" game. Talk about pressure! Even though these parents can barely speak much English, it is still very hard for me to not think that he is sitting there just ripping my style apart. Had he been helping do something I think the butterflies would have escaped out my mouth in one burp, however, he just sat and stared. Almost like a certain doll that lives in the basement where I spent the nights growing up; just sitting and staring at anything that walked by. These guys eyes didn't blink one time in the hour he sat there. I have never seen anything like it. It was as if someone had painted his face on, because it did not move. Even the slightest smile would have made me feel better.
Finally, I put it aside and went on. This seemed to help, as I walked around the room more, noticing he wasn't even really paying attention to me. He seemed to be more hypnotized than anything else. Possibly asleep with his eyes open. And work was easier.
After almost forgetting he was there, a large hand was thrust in my face, making me jump as if someone had shocked me with a cattle prod. "It was very nice to be in your class today. I look forward to coming back next week!" I shook the hand dangling in front of me and saw him to the door. With the "slam" of the door shutting, my class instantly turned back into the monkey cage at the zoo as boys were everywhere. However, when the swinging monkeys were threatened to write lines they calmly turned back into studious boys and stuck their noses in their books. Feelings of freedom came down on me for the rest of the day, and possibly, the rest of the year.
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