Helicopter Parents

Wow! I saw this article, and it made me think about seeing a high school friend this weekend at the Stamford St. Patricks Day parade. He lives in our school district and his son will be entering our school next year, but is concerned based on rumors he's heard. Yet he met with the Principal, and thought highly of our school. So why did he still apply to the four magnet schools?

Because his younger daughter would be allowed to enter the same magnet school. Grandfathered, he said. I'm not sure that she would be, (I thought that only worked if the older child was still there.) but regardless, they would still be able to attend the magnet AND move to a bigger house throughout the city. This is a nice selling point for magnets.

Read the article: http://articles.latimes.com/2011/mar/12/home/la-hm-parent-anxiety-20110312

Back to helipcopter parents. Why aren't these parents being logical? If they feel the local school could use some help, why aren't they trying to volunteer at the school?

"GET INVOLVED!" is my advice. Schools can always use volunteers, even in the evenings or weekends. Our school had a local company's employees come and clean our flowerbeds, and plant. Our school looked wonderful, and the kids really appreciated it.

If you don't like something in your life, you change it. Well, the same thing goes for your community. Small changes, moving in a forward direction, will bring change to also move in that positive direction.

Stamford has had a volunteer, Carol Henderson, who has spent years working hard to establish a chess program. Now it is in many schools in Stamford. Her newest pet project is Math Contests, and she is still working hard, without a lot of recognition and spending her own money, to create an opportunity for self-proclaimed Math Geeks to compete, win, and feel good about enjoying math. And I can happily say, I've helped her by bringing a team of math-athletes to competitions, and they loved competing, and she found ways to make them all successful.
Keep up the good work, Carol!