Without Inquisitive Parents a Child Won’t Make it

Written by Hanne Obbink for Trouw newspaper in Amsterdam
Translated to English by Maurice Specht

“I sometimes say to my children, go read a book,” said Rachida, mother of two children in the Amsterdam suburb of Slotervaart. “If I’m reading myself too, they pick it up much faster than if I shout from the kitchen.”

This expression by the Amsterdam mother is exactly what American educator Jerry Stein has previously explained. If you want parents to encourage their child to perform well at school, make sure you get the parents involved in learning too.

“Without aspiring, curious parents, a child won’t make it,” Stein said.

Stein, from the University of Minnesota, is the driving force behind Learning Dreams, a project for children from deprived backgrounds that encourages their parents to become actively involved in learning. Yesterday, Stein talked about his educational approach at an Amsterdam school that has many disadvantaged pupils.

Stein’s story fell on fertile soil. A month and a half ago, Minister of Education Marja Van Bijsterveldt said parents should be more involved with school and their child. But schools in poor neighborhoods know from experience: parents are often barely able to support their child with their schoolwork.

How can we change this? The atmosphere at home has to change, said Stein. Not by telling parents what to do, but by asking them what they want to learn and what their dreams are. Later, we must include the children by asking them what they want to learn as well.

Stein began his project simply by knocking on doors

“The door opens an inch, and people see a white man with a beard,” he said. “And then you have a minute to explain why you are there.” That man, is Dr. Jerry Stein.

Stein’s approach has often led to creating relationships that last years, many times where the ambience within a family changes completely.

At the Einstein Community Center in Amsterdam-Slotervaart, they understand how it works. The school asks parents to provide lunch in the school for children who stay in the afternoon.

“These parents have a course with a certificate,” said director Ria King. “That puts them on their way toward a job elsewhere.”

For Rachida it has worked. She began performing chores at the school and discovered she could do more. Now, she’s almost done with social care training.

“At breakfast I talk to my children about school, about theirs and mine. I am an example for them,” she said.

References:
Hanne Obbink article (untranslated)