The Rewards of Parent Participation
Parents will get from their Mulberry experience, quite simply, what they put into it. Since it can take a year or more to "get" what parent participation is about, we've tried to distill some of the essence of it all below.
Parent participation gives:
- A warm, supportive environment for family and individual learning.
- A community that will emotionally/socially support you when you or your family is in need.
- A place to find extended community resources for family and friends.
- A safe place to risk being authentically you, and stretching your ideas of you. A place to grow.
- Shared responsibility for a place that has touched and will touch many lives with positive impact.
- A shared philosophy of mutual respect and trust.
- A place that can be open to ideas and suggestions and opportunities to work toward implementation of those ideas.
- An incredibly rich learning environment- that can only be achieved with so many people willing to work together for the best education that can be provided.
- A continual connection to the student's daily learning- the possibility to understand more deeply who your child is, who their classmates are and the honor of watching them grow.
- Life-long friendships
Most parents choose Mulberry because they could feel this place is magical and unique.
Parents cherish this experience with their children and savor this time in their childhood. Make the most of your child's and your education.
Parent Participation Requirements
Parent Training
Parent Education Articles
Click any link below to view article:
- Power Stuggles
- Children as Leaners
- How do I explain such a terrible world?
- How Embarassing
- Overlapping
- The Dichotomy of Motherhood
- The Meaning of Life
- Adjustment to Preschool (9 kb pdf)
Parent Testimonials
We feel so fortunate to have discovered Mulberry. We knew our children would get an education but what we also wanted was for them to start their school experience with an interest in and excitement for learning. We wanted them to want to go to school each day, to start out on the right foot. Mulberry has done this.
Our children love to learn. They are self-starters, take responsibility for their work, are willing to ask questions and manage their homework on their own. They are comfortable interacting with adults and are great at problem solving. And this has carried on through middle school and high school.
What we didn't realize is that Mulberry educates the entire family – what a bonus! There is great parent education at Mulberry through classes, speakers and peers. Participating in our children's classes has allowed us to learn from the fantastic and dedicated Mulberry teachers. We've become better listeners, better at compromise, better at communication, better at relaxing and enjoying our children for who they are, not for what we think they ought to be.
If we had to do it all over again, we wouldn't change a thing.
Rebecca Smith
5th Grade & Alumni Parent
When my husband and I were looking at schools for our daughter we knew that we wanted a place that we could be an active part of her education. We had never heard of a “parent participation” school and had no idea how such a school worked. What we did know is that finding a school that provided a strong academic focus while supporting our daughter's social and emotional growth was important to us. Upon touring Mulberry my husband and I immediately fell in love with the nurturing environment of school and we were overwhelmed with how each and every student seemed to be having fun learning. We observed parents working with children in the classroom and out on the playground and we were fascinated to find out more about the specific role of the parent played within the school.
What we found as we entered our first year was that not only was our daughter's academic, social and emotional needs supported by this community but through the parent education that was provided as well as through peer and teacher support we grew as parents. We found a wonderful community of learners that we could learn from in a comfortable and safe environment.
This is our third year at Mulberry and the one morning a week I spend in my daughter's 2nd grade class is the highlight of my week. Being an active, hands on part of her education is so rewarding and fulfilling as a parent. And from my daughter's perspective seeing her mom working in her classroom every week reinforces to her just how important her education is.
Robin Borrud
2nd Grade Parent
Sand. Water. Mud. When our son was three, those were his chief interests. We knew he loved to run and wrestle and build with Zoobs. Give him playdough, preferably embedded with random objects, and you'd have him at hello. But ask him to separate from mom and he would weep indefinitely. He lasted all of three days in his Montessori classroom – the school I attended as a child and adored.
So we went on a search for a preschool where he could be himself: physical, mischievous, energetic, and emotional. And we also wanted a place where he would be exposed to all the bits and pieces we didn't want in our house, mostly the aforementioned sand, water and mud but also paint, shaving cream, and horseplay of all kinds. We hoped that by supporting him in the stuff he loved, he would learn to love school. We hoped that he would attach to his teacher and want to make her happy. We hoped someday we could leave him someplace without his feeling betrayed.
We found Mulberry, and we haven't looked back.
We've had five wonderful years at Mulberry. Our son has grown so much. He reads voraciously. He plays team soccer and tennis – this from a kid who would cheat because he couldn't bear to lose at Candyland. In the fall, he played the role of Charlie in Mulberry's production of Willy Wonka Jr. It took a ton of work for him to learn all those lines, songs, and dances, not to mention get up in front of hundreds of people and do his thing. Not only did he do it, he loved every bit of it.
For me, this is the Mulberry magic: my son loves school. Every step of the way, he has been supported academically, socially, and emotionally. Nobody has forced him into a pigeon-hole. At the same time, he has learned to sit, listen, and be an integral part of a whole community. He has learned to read, do math, write, draw, and sing. His artistic side has blossomed, but not at the cost of athleticism or his unshakable goal of becoming an engineer.
Obviously, I love the place. Because it isn't just my son, and now my daughter, who have learned to love school. I have learned so much, too. I've learned to trust my children's development. I've learned how to talk with them respectfully, firmly, and lovingly. Between the two kids I've participated in preschool classrooms for five years and elementary classrooms for three. Experiencing the incredible range of development and personality amongst all the children has provided healthy doses of perspective. More than once I've come home to announce to my husband, “Guess what! It isn't just our kids who are incredibly annoying!” There's nothing like supporting another child through a rough patch to make you grateful for your own children. For all the children.
Bottom line, Mulberry has become our tribe. The other parents have become more than just friends, because they are helping to educate, civilize and raise our kids. The teachers are like tribal elders – they've seen it all, and they can talk about it with affection. And the kids… well, the kids are the reason we're all there. And nobody ever forgets that.
Sara Tavernise
2nd Grade & Preschool Parent