Conferences of parents of Ogre district school pupils “Our children”

On February 22 of this year, the first, and on April 25, the second conference of parents of Ogre district school students was organized. The idea of ​​creating such a conference came to the methodologists of the Ogre Region Education Board because three parties take part of the responsibility in the educational process – the educational institution, children and parents. And each of the involved parties needs to gain experience, support, time and space for communication and cooperation.
One of the goals of the first conference was to start building a community of parents in Ogre county, which includes at least one parent from each preschool group and class in our county, with the idea that here we give time and space for mutual communication, exchange of thoughts and ideas, support and discussions. This community would be a great positive force in creating a positive and valuable learning experience for all children in our county.

The topics and lecturers of the conference were chosen by the team of methodologists of the Ogre District Education Board, based on their previous experience and actualities that methodologists face on a daily basis in the schools where they work:

• “Cooperation between parents and children for a positive school experience” Kristine Joanna Golubeva, Professional integral coach/coaching skills development trainer;
• “How sports influence the development of a child’s personality” Jurita SmiltiņaMg.Psych., certified consulting psychologist, cognitive behavioral therapist in training;
• “Current Affairs in Internet and Cyberspace Security” Yana OrlovaDrossinternets.lv lecturer.

At the first conference, an active mother Vita Valtere also spoke with a short story of her experience, who shared her feelings as a parent about the microclimate prevailing in the child’s classroom and told how parents should and should not act in cooperation with the school.
Parents had the opportunity not only to listen to the speakers, but also to network, discuss various issues and discuss current events over tea or coffee.
After the first conference, parents were invited to provide feedback on how they evaluate the information provided by the lecturers and the conference as a whole. The average score given by parents on the question, what is your benefit from the conference, is 4.03 (out of 5 points), so we conclude that the benefit of parents from the conference is significant.
Parents were invited to suggest topics or speakers for the next conference, and by collecting the data, it was concluded that the biggest concern of parents at the moment is teenagers in many different aspects – parents want to understand the characteristics of teenagers’ age, how to build and maintain healthy relationships with teenagers, how to understand, how to set boundaries , how to help, how to support and a lot of questions and worries about how to provide a healthy diet for a teenager.

Taking into account all of the above, two lecturers spoke at the second conference, and at the parents’ request, time was also scheduled for asking questions and discussing directly with the lecturers:

• “To change or to change? How to be a parent of a teenager” Renate Lochmele, M.Sc. Psych. certified clinical and educational psychologist;
• “Nutrition for adolescent health” Zanda Mihailovskacertified nutritionist.

There were many positive comments in the parents’ reviews even after the 2nd conference, and in general parents rated this conference with 4.42 (out of 5 points). As usual, parents were asked what they would recommend to make the next conference a success. Here’s a review: “I’m already listening to a class for parents. Usually, a parent, a child and an educator are needed for successful cooperation. The main responsibility lies with the parents. … I don’t know if there have been times when both parents and teachers meet and listen to lectures at the same conference. And then you are really on the same page. Thank you! It was really good!”
Taking into account the goals set by the Board of Education and the suggestions of parents, the work on building a community of parents in Ogre district will continue. In cooperation with school management teams and school parent councils, parents will be informed about the next planned events.

Many thanks to the Education Board of Ogre region for the team of methodologists for the contribution to the planning, organization and management of both events!

The information was prepared by the Education Department of Ogre regionIlze Ušpele, a specialist in educational methodology from Alven