I had an incredible interview with two individuals that
spoke passionately about how their professional role impacts families. My topic project will focus on the impact of a Single Parent Family has on a child's development in academic achievement, self esteem and behavior in and out of the school. I selected both
candidates because they are in two separate careers: Education and Corporate. Both candidates have the ability to impact
families of whom they govern on a daily basis.
Further, both candidates are educated, successful and leaders in their
professional career.
My first phone interview- Julita Marshall is 40 years old
and a 3rd Grade Teacher in the state of Illinois. She has taught for 5 years as a Reading and
Language Arts Teacher. Julita believes
that her professional role as a single parent and as an educator affords her an
opportunity to be sensitive, have empathy and accommodate families to ensure
their children are successful. She looks
beyond the socioeconomic status of families and focuses on the students’ needs. In addition, Julita believes that every
family is different and need tailored attention. When she meets parents and families on the
first day of school or during Open House Night, she listens very well to
students and parents. Julita pays
attention to interactions between parent and child and how much interest a
parent has in their child’s education. I
as the interviewer connected with Julita’s perspective because I am a 2nd
grade teacher and in order to ensure a child is successful, it is important to
get to know how much a parent supports.
My second live interview- Kaszia Eugenia 24 years old and is
a Wal-Mart Senior Manager of Quality Assurance|Human Resources|Business
Development| Logistics and Supply Chain in Atlanta, Georgia. Kaszia has been employed with the Wal-Mart
cooperation for 5 years. Kaszia believes
that her position affords her the opportunity to show equity among diverse
families. One comment from her
interview- “During my hiring process, I
encounter hundreds of applicants and because I am a single parent I am
special. When I come across the marital
status question of my employees’ paperwork and discover they are single
parents, qualified, smart and skilled, I embrace and help them get to the next level
professionally.” I as the interviewer
connected with this comment because it shows that discrimination is not
tolerated and equity is prevalent.
A question I am curious about would be, if they had an
opportunity to implement a program to help single parent families in the
corporate or education arena, what would be the program?
I appreciate your decision to interview two candidates in two separate fields. It certainly can illuminate some different perspectives. I agree with you and Ms. Marshall that it is important for teachers to connect with parents. Loughran (2011) shared, "he importance of good parent-teacher relationships has been well documented. Research has shown
ReplyDeletethat parent involvement in education benefits not only the child but also the parents and teachers
(Eldridge, 2001) (p. 35).
References
Loughran, S. B. (2011). The importance of teacher/parent partnerships: Preparing pre-service and in-service teachers. Journal of College Teaching & Learning (TLC), 5(8), 35-38. doi:10.19030/tlc.v5i8.1239
I appreciate your decision to interview two candidates in two separate fields. It certainly can illuminate some different perspectives. I agree with you and Ms. Marshall that it is important for teachers to connect with parents. Loughran (2011) shared, "he importance of good parent-teacher relationships has been well documented. Research has shown
ReplyDeletethat parent involvement in education benefits not only the child but also the parents and teachers
(Eldridge, 2001) (p. 35).
References
Loughran, S. B. (2011). The importance of teacher/parent partnerships: Preparing pre-service and in-service teachers. Journal of College Teaching & Learning (TLC), 5(8), 35-38. doi:10.19030/tlc.v5i8.1239
This is a very major topic and is definitely one that I believes relates very well with the topics we have discussed this week about resilience. Many times single parent homes are seen as a concept that could have many negative aspects on families and their children? Have you considered researching the difference in families who have still turned out to beat the odds as well as families that are constantly affected by single parenting?
ReplyDeleteGreat interview results and I agree with interviewing participants from different fields. However, your question on what will the program be for single parents? I believe there should be two different programs for Dads and Moms. Often times we focus our programs on single moms but often times dads are faced with that challenge as well. The program would be focused on How to assist single parents on the challenges they face. How to assist the child with being raised in a single parent household. Because children have challenges too. You are on the right track!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about your interview process. It was a great idea to pick two individuals from two different professional sectors. I agree with Dezire'e about having programs for single parents to include both mothers and fathers. Both groups need support when facing challenges of being a single parent. Children need to have their own special program as well.
ReplyDeleteHi Phyllis,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog post. You have a great topic and are working with people that appear to be just as passionate as you. Something I have noticed with single parent families is their lack on awareness as to program availability. I would also agree that single fathers need to be incorporated into such programs. Excellent work!
Amanda Wentz