<p>Both my kids attended private schools, younger D also attended public. Great many volunteer hours were needed outside & inside the classroom. Several of the schools including the school where Bill & Melinda sent their kids requires families to keep track of their volunteer hours.( & to volunteer a minimum # of hrs) You can"t replace family/community involvement with simply writing a check.</p>
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<p>I cannot stand the anticipation. Please tell me what his reaction would be.</p>
<p>Why don’t you ask him you said he stays up late. ;)</p>
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<p>I can, but what if he gives the wrong answer? I would prefer to get the right answer from Lima.</p>
<p>EK, Did the parents also have to prove that they are well rounded?</p>
<p><<<<raises hand=“”>>>>>> I know, I know!!</raises></p>
<p>He’ll ask “daddy daddy, teach me how to write with biting sarcasm. I want to posit ascerbic comebacks”</p>
<p>Instead of volunteering so much time on CC provoking, imagine what you could accomplish volunteering at your son’s school.</p>
<p>Look, if I could set academic policy, even just for math, I would volunteer to teach math all day for no charge. Seriously. But you guys are quite clear. Parents can’t do anything for education. They can only do the equivalent of janitorial tasks. I don’t do such tasks even at home. I would suck at it.</p>
<p>regarding your question IP, if the parents weren’t interested in experiential, child led learning & in the volunteer requirement they wouldn’t have accepted admission to the school for their child.</p>
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<p>Experiential, child led learning? OK, got it. It’s one of those wacko schools. No wonder they have parents keep track of volunteer hours.</p>
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<p>Am so glad you said this, as someone nearer to that experience than I was as a student. My parents volunteered a LOT of time for my older brothers (my mom was named Mother of the Year the last year any of my brothers were in that parochial prep high school). When it came my time. They did absolutely nothing. </p>
<p>Fast forward and of course I put in many, many hours doing such a range of things, I’d be up all night trying to remember them all. But one of the things I’m sure the kids will remember me most for, someday at my funeral, is how, for two years, I provided food for 100+ show choir members (crew and combo, too) on every competition trip they took. The money I spent was taken from the fees they had to pay to participate in the program, but I generally tried to keep the cost to $3.00 per student, per trip, which included a continental breakfast early in the morning (we often boarded the busses and left school by 2-4AM and most of the kids went back to sleep, but by the time we’d arrive at our destination 3-4 hours later and they woke up, they’d be hungry; we all know that kids perform best when they’ve been fed a decent meal, and we knew if we provided something relatively healthy, it would help them get through the marathon day of a show choir competition) and a deli-made sandwich combo (sandwiches made at the deli the day before, but I always had to pick them up and keep them cool the night before because none of the grocery stores were open at 1AM when I’d need to pick them up before leaving for the trip) which included a couple of things from Costco that I’d shop for, too. The kids would get this ‘meal’ after they boarded the busses for the trip home, which was often not until midnight, after they’d just spent a long day competing and loading all the equipment back on the bus. Anyway, the program was so large that it required two coach busses to transport the kids; every time I boarded that bus at night time to deliver the deli combo, you’d think they’d seen God. I couldn’t have been a more welcome sight. Many of them would step forward and volunteer to help me distribute the food so we could get going quicker (busses couldn’t leave until we made sure everyone on each bus had received food). They were always SOOOO appreciative and came to associate me with the two meals they’d get on the bus for each competition they attended. </p>
<p>Would the program have gone on without my help? Sure. Another parent would have stepped up, but then that would have taken away time they might have spent doing something else for the program that I, nor the school director, could do. And it assured the director that we knew these sometimes absent-minded kids, who are loading a bus with their stuff at 2-4AM on about 2-4 hours of sleep (and might have forgotten to bring food for the long bus ride) were getting relatively decent nutrition prior to very long, physically-demanding day. And when the kids are well nourished, and well-hydrated (oh, that reminds me, I was also responsible for providing water in the warm-up rooms for our group so we were sure they were also hydrated prior to the performance), they perform better. When you’re in another school (often times in another state), it’s nice to know water will be provided to you prior to your big performance and you don’t have to go hunting down a bunch of hallways for a water fountain.</p>
<p>IP Have you ever thought of a hobby, outside of CC?</p>
<p>Who Posted?
Total Posts: 272 </p>
<p>User Name Posts </p>
<p>IndianParent 77
OhioMom3000 20
jym626 17
thumper1 16
teriwtt 16
sewhappy 14
MiamiDAP 14
limabeans01 11
xiggi 9
padad 7
oldfort 7
frazzled1 6
mantori.suzuki 5
performersmom 5
emeraldkity4 4
wis75 3
AHSTeacher 3
milkandsugar 3
ilikepizza 2
Dad<em>of</em>3 2
vonlost 2
parent1986 2
musicprnt 2
bovertine 2
HImom 2
MaineLonghorn 2
momma-three 2
sorghum 2
MomLive 1
DougBetsy 1
lake42ks 1
CCsiteObsessed 1
mini 1
scout59 1
toblin 1
pugmadkate 1
xSlacker 1
FreedomEagle 1
ellemenope 1
coolweather 1
englishjw 1
eastcoascrazy 1
Emaheevul07 1
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<p>You misunderstood my comment about being called “to order.” There was no disciplining involved. </p>
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<p>IP, I typed a long post to provide you with an insight into WHY a student might find the presence and participation of his or other parents in school activities to be enriching. I also wrote a few lines that were expressing my UNDERSTANDING that immigrants might not see the value of volunteering. I offered my views on the POSSIBLE reasons they might decide to skip volunteering or attending event. I commented based on my observations. And, from my reading of your posts, you seem to confirm that you (and other Asian parents) might not see the need to participate. </p>
<p>Now, nothing of what I wrote deserved the callous and obnoxious words I highlighted above. Was there some divine intervention that gave you the right to decree that others exhibit “uninformed bias” when you disagree with them --or simply do not understand what is discussed. Why do assume that you are the only person qualified to discuss multi-culturalism? Why do you assume that others are lacking in their understanding of multi-culturalism or that people you harpoon so gleefully all landed in this country on the Mayflower? Why do assume that multi-culturalism is only viewed correctly to your narrow Indian lens and place of birth? </p>
<p>How do you pretend to know that “The LACs are not doing a very good job” when you admitted not having a clue about what is taught at such schools?</p>
<p>Is there no limit to your arrogance?</p>
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<p>Can’t run for President, sorry. Not a natural born citizen. Yes, others have mentioned it as well.</p>
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<p>Where did I say that anyone gets ignored? It’s enrichment that can’t possibly be done when a teacher has 30+ kids in a class. And I can guarantee you that your state’s public schools do not have 10/1 student/teacher ratio. Remember, public schools are required to provide an education for all children. You can’t compare public schools to private schools. Each has their strengths and limitations.</p>
<p>Xiggi, Perhaps you didn’t realize that your position that Asians don’t volunteer because they either can’t speak English, or socialize with non-Asians, or are just plain out of time was … somewhat … obnoxious and callous?</p>
<p>My children went to a school with children from 57 countries- outside the US. They learned about Ramadan, Deepavali, Chinese New Year, Nyepi, May Day, Children’s Day…etc. Because this was a given at a school like theirs, these holidays were woven into the fabric of the school program- not just an opportunity to eat dumplings, or make candle holders, for example. If you are not living in a place where you have natural access to as much diversity, it is especially nice for parent volunteers to take up the slack for teachers who are not exposed themselves. Multicultural understanding is a key to long term success in modern society, no? I think most parents get pleasure in sharing their cultural heritage. Furthermore, most of the time the children enjoy this as well. Pleasure and enjoyment are important commodities in any life, including that of school children.</p>
<p>I have been waiting for just the right time to share a comment made to me a few years ago which I will never forget. I had been talking with a parent about why her darling son would likely be exited from his private school. He had intellectual challenges and his learning rate was such that other students in the class did not get enough teacher time- as the teacher was spending time with this boy (above and beyond all the other resources being provided to him).</p>
<p>The mother, sweetly and without hesitation, said to me… “But, Dr… I don’t care about anyone else’s children. I am an Indian Parent.”</p>
<p>I work with many, many Indian parents and my presumption is that not all of them share her belief system. This said, perhaps some truly do.</p>
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who would cast the other vote?</p>
<p>You don’t have to know how to speak English when you are making dumplings. See, people love you whenever you feed them.</p>