Perrins

Parenting Learning Community (PLC)

Join the PLC community: Parents helping parents parent. ALL parents/adults are welcome to participate. Monday April 22 at 6:30pm at Gess Elementary.

You might wonder, why is the Chewelah School District making plans to offer “parent classes”? The answer is we are not.  A PLC is not a parenting class in the traditional sense. Parenting is a complex responsibility and is a private matter between spouses or a single parent.  

Parenting is the most important duty and responsibility we have as adults. As adults, we all engage with youth in some way. A wise man once said, “There is one responsibility that no one can evade. That is the effects of one’s personal influence.”  

The Chewelah School District desires to facilitate monthly learning and sharing community meetings for parents young and old. There are many experienced parents and there are many unexperienced parents. This will always be the case in our society, and it is a good thing. Therefore, The Chewelah School District sees an opportunity to bring both the young and old together. It is an opportunity for us to strengthen ourselves as parents and adults who can influence children. Parenting is the hardest thing we can do. It is also the most rewarding thing we can do. It deserves more of our collective attention.

Why is the Chewelah School District providing this opportunity for parents to share and help each other? We are not trying to replace faith-based family supports or professional family therapists. We are simply offering support for parents because schools participate in supporting collaborating with parents in their parenting.  Additionally, there are ever-changing trends that seem to be constantly coming in and out of families/homes. Those trends find their way into schools. Furthermore, different thinking and parenting styles come through our doors as diverse as there are numbers of students. Parenting is complex and hard even for parents who apply good parenting strategies. We also witness parents who could use some help and even ask for help. We all have the same interests.

Parenting is not the primary responsibility of schools. It is our secondary responsibility to support. Schools have the primary responsibility to teach children academic skills and other career introductory skills while parents provide a secondary supportive role.  We are better educators and parents of and for children when we work together.

The monthly PLC provides opportunities for parents to come together to share their experiences and help those who may be facing similar situations. It's a place where questions can be asked and advice or ideas can be shared to help one another. We all love our children, and we all want them to grow up to reach their potential. However, individually or as parents we don’t always have the best answers. Others might have the answers. The Chewelah School District hopes that by providing this forum for parents to listen, talk, share ideas/advice, and personal experiences, along with some research, parents will be able to strengthen their relationships with their children and/or direct them in ways that will improve their individual circumstances.  

Parenting is an art and a little bit of science. It foremost requires wisdom. Wisdom is knowing when to apply the art side and when to apply the science side. Wisdom is gained through experience and the practice of applying principles and strategies.  The Chewelah School District desires to sponsor and facilitate a process that will help adults gain the wisdom they need to better parent their children. We believe that our parents in our community can help one another.

What is the purpose of Parenting Learning Community (PLC)?

To engage parents in meaningful dialogue to collectively share common parenting challenges, research, best practices, resources, and solutions to strengthen parent/child relationships and foster child growth and development

Learning community format

• Each meeting will focus on a specific topic selected by participants through surveys and participant requests.
• Share stories and experiences related to the focused topic.
• Share solutions, research, and guiding parenting principles and practices.
• Review and share efforts, failures, and successes from previous meetings.

Our first PLC will be held on Monday, April 22 at 6:30pm. National Honor Society secondary students will provide childcare. The community meeting will be held in the Gess Library