Features
Parental engagement re-imagined:
new beginnings and fresh starts By Elisabeth Neiada
I
t is early September 2019 and we are in Athens, Greece. September brings with it the first day of school, a day filled with emotions that characterise new beginnings and fresh starts. On that day, Dr Seuss’ words would always replay in my head: ‘You are off to great places, today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way!’. These words perfectly encapsulated my feelings, not only as a student but later as a teacher and parent. For me, the first day of school was exciting and magical, infused with parents’ hopes, expectations and/or fears for the academic year; students’ curiosity about their new classrooms, teachers, and often new classmates; and teachers’ passion and commitment to instil a love of learning in their (new) students. I remember that a pinch of hope and sense of positivity would reign this day,
6 | International School | Spring 2022
reminding me to enjoy the journey and not only to anticipate the destination. Fast-forwarding to early September 2021, we are in Athens, Greece. Our journey has been overshadowed by the covid-19 pandemic, which has turned our world upside down and still keeps our destination unknown. More than exciting and magical, the latest two ‘first-days of school’ have been marked by fear and uncertainty on people’s faces, cleverly hidden behind face masks. Fear about what our ‘new normal’ will be for students, teachers and parents, and uncertainty about potential school closures and disruptions to learning. It is said that in times of uncertainty, people reconsider, refocus, and reprioritize by considering questions such as ‘What is most important right now?’, ‘How can we turn misfortunes into opportunities?’ and ‘In what ways can we support, motivate, and help each other?’. The Save the Children report of 2015 identifies education as one of the highest priorities for children in times of crises, and reads: ‘children feel safe and protected at school, and they feel better at school. Education is the key to their future, their protection, their happiness, and their health’ (Save the Children, 2015). As an IB educator, I cherish those words that have informed my educational pedagogy and teaching in my classroom. Apart from being an educator
though, I am also a former IB Diploma Programme student and proud parent of two children. It is with all the different facets of my identity that I write this article, to draw attention to my most pressing priority in the last two years, from both a professional and personal standpoint: parental engagement in schools, which forms part of the wider umbrella of parent-school relationships. Parental engagement in IB schools in Athens, Greece, is my research interest as a current doctoral student in Education. My research seeks to understand how parental engagement is constructed and manifested in five IB schools in Athens. The aim of this article is to describe my study and invite readers’ thoughts on parental engagement, in a time of constant change. Parental engagement as a term signifies parents’ orientations, attitudes, practices, behaviours, and identities when involved in their child’s school education (Barr & Saltmarsh, 2014). Existing literature suggests that parental engagement includes the involvement of parents not only in students’ academic studies (Epstein et al, 2002), but also in students’ learning inside and outside of school, particularly at home (Goodall, 2017). Several researchers consider engagement in students’ learning a holistic
