Taal & parental involvement

The Seventh Montessori School in Amsterdam has been offering the course for a year and a half Taal and Parental Involvement of TopTaal on. Successfully, because parents now play a much more active role in the school. The course is funded by the municipality Taal and Parental Involvement intended for fathers and mothers of primary school-aged children. With this program, the municipality encourages parents to use the Dutch taal to learn and their involvement in both their child's school and the taalto enhance development. The objectives of the course are threefold: to improve the taalskills of parents so that they are better able to support their child in their development, increasing parental participation at their child's school and finally preparing parents for further participation, volunteer work or education.

The curriculum has been compiled by the professionals of TopTaalAnd it's a success. The Seventh Montessori School is one of over forty participating schools. Parents can register for a series of twenty lessons three times a year. Afterward, they are expected at their child's school two mornings a week. The school does need a suitable classroom for this, but the costs of the lessons are minimal and limited to a blackboard, pens, and paper. Director Eva Meilof believes it's important that parents feel at home at the school. For that reason alone, she is pleased with the courses offered. TopTaal"You used to see parents having more trouble asking questions or offering help. They'd drop their children off at the school's front door and leave immediately. Now you see them considering school much more as a part of their own lives. And they're asking questions and helping out at school."

Lice mother

To feel more confident in this society, parents of non-Dutch descent often need guidance. Courses in which they not only taalImproving skills, but also getting to know the school better, helps, according to Eva. 'These are parents who find it difficult to connect. In class, they often work on the same themes as their children; if it's Children's Book Week, teacher Anelli tells them a lot about it. And when we have a Health theme week, that's included in the course. Taal and parental involvement is also given attention.'

It is not easy for the teacher to tailor each student every time. The level of education of the participants varies greatly. Anelli also sees that one parent wants to learn to speak better while another parent in the same group benefits much more from explanation about upbringing. How do you deal with a child who only wants to play games? And what do you do with a child who has difficulty controlling his energy? By answering questions that live within the group, Anelli ensures that the parents are skilled in raising, but also that they know how to find each other better. They build a network and become well informed. Very nice to see, both Eva and Anelli think.

Eva believes the lessons are highly effective. "We have a group of enthusiastic people who learn new skills in a relaxed way. That's good for them, but also for their children. Because the parents are at school more often, it's easy for them to immerse themselves in their children's world. They also regularly help out at school, for example, as a lice mother or in the library. They get a lot of support from each other. It's very rewarding for children to see that their parents continue to learn. I would hate it if the lessons had to end."toppen. Fortunately, that is not the case at the moment.