I agree with you on that aspect Kathie. First and foremost, again I want to thank you all for your comments and suggestions. As a 13-year veteran teacher, I have a problem with "bribing parents with food or prizes." I am 34 years old and my parents were divorced, however, they managed to work in the day and be active in all of our PTA meetings, teacher conferences, and other school functions my sister and I had. With all these "rewards," to offer parents, we are making them lazier. Do parents need food/gifts to be active in their "child's learning?" Again, I am totally against feeding a parent so they can learn more information about their child and what's going on in the school. Some parents don't realize that it's their child that they need to show attention to. I'm not just speaking PTO/PTA meetings at this time, I am speaking all school functions. As a teacher, the only time I see certain parents (I hate to say) is when their child stated to the parent that the teacher may have mistreated them; but in terms of parent/teacher conferences, PTA meetings, and other school functions, attendance is skim. From teaching all the grade levels, I can surely say attendance is greater in the elementary schools. It's a shame, but it's the truth.
I am not trying to demean stay-at-home parents or anyone else for that matter, so if offense is taken, it wasn't intended to. I am speaking to those parents who are not active in their child's education. I also consider those parents who may not be able to understand what's going on in the school (due to lack of education and even language barrier, but at our school, we offer many parenting classes and have someone who can interpret for those parents who may speak another language.) We, my school makes it all possible for everyone to attend and the atmosphere is warm. It still takes that village to raise children, but it must start at home. Too many of our kids are being neglected. With emphasis on the "No Child Left Behind Law," we need to rethink on certain issues and as a teacher and parent, I strongly feel that the responsibility still needs to fall on the parent.
We, my school, have tried many of the strategies that were suggested. We have tried surveys, door prizes, spaghetti dinners, etc. I must admit our attendance increases when their child is performing in a PTA meeting; however, if there is no performance that night, attendance is low. We do thank the parents at each meeting, because we realize that sometimes, it is a hardship (I have two children who have had a meeting or two that coincided in times), but I manage to participate in both.
In conclusion, parents must take back the responsibility for their child. We, as teachers, do not need to have that sole responsibility; it is a team effort. The team being the teacher, administrators, community, and most importantly, the parent.