‘We want their involvement’: Educators encourage parents to review back-to-school documents with kids

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Now that school is back in session, parents may want to check their child’s backpacks.. odds are their teacher sent them home with a syllabus this week.

The hustle of the first day of school can be fun but overwhelming, however teachers do not want families to forget to check these important documents.

“They get a syllabus. They get a back-to-school letter, and it actually shows them the grade,” said 7th grade Ossie Ware Mitchell Middle School teacher Arleen Terry. “It shows them the actual standards that we’re going to be teaching their students, so we’re just excited because we want their involvement.”

Terry wants parents to play an active role in their child’s education. She said it is important to understand what is expected from students.

This is a sentiment shared by Richard Franklin with the Birmingham Federation of Teachers.

The former educator currently has two kids in the Birmingham City School system, and he has already asked them for a copy of their syllabus, so he knows grading criteria and big projects that are coming.

Franklin encourages parents to review this document with their kids, make sure they understand it, and how this is preparing them for the future.

“I look at it as a training ground for where they are now,” said Franklin. “When all of us that went to college, you know, they give you a syllabus and they tell you day one, they don’t go over that syllabus anymore. If you missed those assignments, you know, you’re just going to fail. They’re a little bit more lenient, but I love it, because our schools are preparing our kids to go to college.”

Franklin also points to academic improvements as a reason parents should continue investing in their child’s education.

Leaders report that Birmingham City Schools is ranked first in Alabama for mathematics recovery.

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