Holistic education is a buzzword in modern times and is an idea that is increasingly used to benchmark excellence among schools and educators. The contours of what constitutes ‘holistic’ remain fluid and malleable and evolving in the changing times. However, there is one particular aspect of holistic education that remains as consistent as it is essential—the schools’ role in the behavioural development of their students, especially in the context of parental awareness.
The many initiatives that most modern, future-ready schools have been taking to ensure optimal behavioural development of their students indicate a very healthy and encouraging trend. But in this blog, we want to address a particular aspect of the school’s role that needs to be highlighted and perhaps emulated on a much larger scale across schools of all sizes—the role of the school in keeping parents educated about their child’s various phases of development.
The Challenge
One of the critical challenges that schools have to grapple with when it comes to student behavioural development is in the context of the integral, indispensable role parents need to play in the process and the initiatives the schools need to take to facilitate the same. Conventional parenting wisdom has its limits and it is the duty of the schools to make parents aware of information that is more scientific, rigorous and researched. Good information allows parents to have a perspective and make sense of what their kids are going through at various ages and stages of their development. It also helps parents understand why their kids are behaving in the way they are behaving, and address various issues related to their child calmly and rationally. The trouble is that on their own, parents’ access to this kind of science-backed information may be limited. And it is up to the schools to fill in the gaps as far as possible.
Also Read: Parent-Teacher Relationships — 3 Thought Provoking TED Talks
The Solution
Over the past several years, through our interactions with school management, teachers, and parents, we at Schoolpad have observed certain interesting trends and ideas that can offer some really good solutions and insights into this concern. One of the parents we interacted with recently shared their experience with an orientation program they attended in their child’s school. During the orientation, the school ensured parents were made aware of the four planes of development that a child goes through between ages 0 and 24, and the corresponding behavioural changes and quirks that parents need to understand, interpret and be mindful about. More specifically, the parent was appreciative of the fact that this orientation informed them about how their child was at an age where they would start becoming more social, find new friends and groups, seek alone time from parents, and may also start tattling about other kids. These specific behavioural changes would have been worrisome for the parents and may have even caused them to react in a way that would have been detrimental to the kid. But because the schools made the effort and provided the information, the parent said they found themselves much more equipped to handle these developmental changes in their child, and even allows them to keep track of the growth markers.
There are several such anecdotal examples that we have come across where schools played a critical role in educating the parents and allowing them to not only calibrate their reactions but also know what things they need to monitor to ensure their child’s mental, emotional, and intellectual development is on the right track. Knowledge is power, and while this adage applies to schools in the context of their students, it is equally relevant when it comes to the parents of their students. Providing parents with the right kind of knowledge at the right times gives them the power to become true allies in their child’s learning and development journey. Children spend the majority of their time with their parents who have a massive influence on their growth and overall future.
Also Read: How To Regulate Parent-Teacher Communication In the Era of WhatsApp?
For schools to see the true impact of their various initiatives, it is important that parents are on board and in sync with the school’s approach. Periodic initiatives like orientation, one-on-one counselling, an open channel of communication, and a constant, free flow of relevant information through various means and modes are some of the ways in which schools can keep the parents updated, informed, and prepared for the challenges in their parenting journeys. It is future-conscious, child-centric initiatives like these that help schools accelerate towards their desired outcomes and create a truly exceptional and meaningful experience for their parents and students.
Want to know more about how Schoolpad can help you take such initiatives for the parents? Want to understand how Schoolpad can help you build a technology-driven, future-ready school? Please feel free to get in touch with us at connect@schoolpad.in . You can also click on the request a demo link and one of our coaches will get in touch with you.
