HOME AND SCHOOL: MAIN AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION

Jennifer M. Oestar
Secondary School Teacher III
Canda Nationaln High School
Sariaya, Quezon

The major socializing agents as presented here are the family and the school. By
nature, some of these socializing agencies are formal; some are non-formal. The family
is an example of non-formal unit while the school represents the formal type. The school
and the home play the key roles of laying the foundation of the social learning of every
individual.
For me, the main agent of socialization therefore in any given time is the family. It
is at home where there is a closely-knit system and relationships among members are
intimate and usually face-to-face. It is also a place where we learn basic knowledge and
life skills and most importantly the values formation within ourselves. School, on the other
hand, also serves as an agent of socialization. It is where the actual teaching and learning
occurs with the help of the external forces such as the teacher, the school administrator
and the peers.
Our society has created distinctions about the roles that parents and teachers
should play in a child’s development. We tend to think that schools should stick to
teaching academics and that home is the place where children's moral and emotional
development should take place. As I read an article entitled When Conflict Arises:
Communication Between Home and School, I came to realize various communication
barriers or conflicts in my workplace.
When I was a teacher in a private school, most parents made unauthorized visits
that could lead to class disruption. Some of well-to-do parents complain about school
policies that they don’t want to abide with. More often, the parents dictate the curriculum
and school affairs. On the other hand, when I was in public school, the problems I met
are exactly different from those in private schools. If parents were reactive in private
schools, parents in public schools were more passive especially in attending meetings
and distribution of cards. There were instances when they escape from financial
obligations and payment of school fees.
Parents’ outlook to education were really different. Some students belonging to
poor families tend to commit absenteeism and have low academic achievement. There
was a study showing the correlation between family relations and student achievement in
school. It was found out that family conflict is a risk factor for poor school performance.
Filipino sociologists and researches like Lapuz (1981, 1998, 2010) have supported this
contention.
Another instance of conflict is in the form of written communication, we often send
communication of meetings, conferences and notices of school affairs to parents through
letters. However, some students failed to give those letters to their parents for some
reasons. Here, miscommunication arises.
There were also instances when students feel reluctant to share their insights and
feelings in schools. They are quiet in school but they are very outgoing at home. There
were also instances when students are active in school but were quiet at home. Teachers
and parents must have a background on why students behave such ways.
Conflict in communication also has something to do with the cultural upbringing of
the child. There were times when house rules were different from school policies. I have
experienced that when I taught in a private school. There were foreign transferees who
have their own cultural values and beliefs. They were not used to saying the “po” and
“opo” at home but the school, since it is a Catholic School requires them to do so.
Differences in language and religion can also bring conflict in home and school.
Misunderstanding and misinterpretation of thoughts and actions happen when teachers
or parents fail to communicate with one another.
One of the possible solutions to conflict in communication is to develop effective
partnerships between teachers and parents and to learn to trust and respect one another.
Besides participating in governance, parents can be involved in schools in many roles.
There are the traditional ways: encouraging children to complete homework, attending
parent-teacher conferences, and being active members of their school's parent-teacher
organization. Families can also make a valuable contribution by sharing first-hand
information about work, hobbies, history, and other personal experiences. On the other
hand, schools should recognize the value of social-emotional learning in order to support
students, because events outside of the school context do impact students' learning.
There are lots of possible ways on how to solve the above-mentioned conflicts.
When children observe that home and school are engaged in a respectful partnership for
their benefit, they are likely to develop more positive attitudes about school and achieve
more, compared to situations in which school and home are seen as being worlds apart.
Constant communication helps ensure that both schools and homes are responsive to
students' unique needs and therefore support children's overall development. Nowadays,
technology can allow teachers and parents to link home and school. They can be
connected through skype, e-mails, facebook, messenger and other social media online
portals. With this new era, everything is possible.