• Introduction
• Good practices
• Portraits
  Contact with parents
• Reflection and exercises
• Further reading

Myrtha

After two years of classes in the transitional classroom, the sixteen-year-old Myrtha is being prepared for the transition to vocational training. Myrtha loves animals and will intern at a petting zoo almost immediately after the transition. Her parents are invited to talk about Myrtha’s educational future. During this conversation, it becomes clear that Myrtha’s parents expect Myrtha to eventually continue to study and maybe someday enter the medical field. Although the care coordinator tries to explain that this is unrealistic because of her school results, the idea that their daughter is not smart enough for more than taking care of animals rubbed the parents the wrong way. They walk away angrily from the conversation saying that the school is worthless and that they are going to file a complaint. Since Myrtha is no longer under educational requirements due to her age, the care coordinator is afraid that Myrtha will no longer appear in school after this incident.

Of course, it is great that Myrtha’s parents have high expectations for their children and want her to have a good future. Several studies have shown that students whose parents have higher expectations will live up to these expectations more often than students who do not have high expectations of them (see, inter alia: Hajer, 2003). This so-called Pygmalion effect is important to keep in mind when you are teaching: a student is sensitive to your feedback and attention. A student who is told that he/she cannot work independently will probably not even try anymore.

Yet it appears that newly arrived migrant students are often underestimated (Ewijk, 2011). Research by Fan and Wolters (2014) shows that (negative) expectations of students’ school results have a direct relationship with school dropouts. In addition, a study by Fall and Roberts (2012) demonstrated that teacher/parent support is very important in how a student assesses him/herself, which in turn has a direct impact on motivation and school results. Good communication with parents on such complex issues is essential. In Myrtha’s case, it happened too late, even though her parents had unrealistic expectations (Stanat, 2006 in an interview with Amich Dave).

If there is a language barrier, contact with the parents is certainly not always easy. How can a parent be involved and remain involved to avoid and prevent situations like Myrtha’s? An extensive study by Lopez et al. (2001) has shown that schools that are intensively engaged in parental involvement have the most successful students. These successful schools are both active in involving parents in school activities as well as in supporting and organising activities to improve the situation at home.

Your expectations

Imagine a random student from your class: what do you expect from him/her? What are these expectations based on? Can you raise these expectations? How can you convey these raised expectations during your classes to these students? Are the students/parents informed about expectations and the future? What are their expectations of their child? How often do you speak about the school situation and expectations with the parents? Please write down your answers/thoughts in the box below.

Parent contact and school information

How often do you have contact with the parents? What do you talk about? What information do you have beforehand about the parents/student, and what information are the parents given in advance? Where do you get the information: do you talk with the parents? Are you always aware of the expectations of the parents?

Parent contact and involvement

Do you know the home situation of your students? Why/why not? What are the important points that you think parents do not know/understand and with which you could help (both concerning school matters as well as matters relating to migration and social affairs)?