Still Here and Engaged!

Wow!  It is hard to believe that another school year has come and gone and we’re already well into summer mode and trusting that the weather in BC will cooperate.  Though this year has been particularly interesting and challenging in BC, with the teacher job action, it has also been another great year for us with respect to connecting with people passionate about education.

While  our presence online has been minimal  over the last four months, we are always reading and staying up to date on the issues in education. The 4 of us have been particularly busy these last few months, with going to school full time, selling a business, fulfilling the role of a Board of Education trustee and numerous family obligations.   This has not changed our interest and passion about parent engagement in our schools .  We are  examples of your average parents: sometimes we are immersed in education by actively being involved,  and sometimes we need to focus our energies in a different direction  and we’re not  as visibly engaged.  

We have met many educators and parents in the education community who understand that parents don’t always have to be seen in order to be engaged in their child’s education. A parent who attends PAC meetings every month is not necessarily more engaged than the parent who never attend. We all need to remember that being an actively engaged parent will look different depending on the parents, family and circumstances. The engagement might be happening at  home  more than at the school, parent meetings, school activities or online.

Our own experiences lately reminded us that it’s important not to assume or judge another person’s actions or perceived  inactions. We don’t always know or understand what’s going on in their lives. But we can all do our part to support and encourage parents, regardless of where they are in their parenting journey. We look forward to continuing the conversations, expanding our learning and sharing. We hope to explore more in the area of enhancing parent education to support parent engagement in the upcoming school year.

Whatever your summer plans are,  we hope you  find time to enjoy the summer with family and friends. Have a fun, safe summer and we look forward to connecting with you all again in the fall.