Volunteers lend a helping hand

HOT SPRINGS – Bart Granlund has only been teaching at Hot Springs Elementary school for a year but he is already starting to make a big impact in the learning community.

The world-traveling educator, who holds a PhD in parent-educator partnership focused teaching, has brought his unique style to Hot Springs.

Granlund’s key goal when he began his time at the town’s elementary school was to collaborate with student’s parents.

In the past, Hot Springs has not traditionally involved volunteers into the classroom in a regular manner.

However, Superintendent Kevin Meredith has been working to make just that happen in order to make the school a warmer climate for more members of the community.

Through parent-educator partnerships, the school is working to ensure students are provided with the best educational experience possible, ensuring a positive learning environment.

As the first year of the partnerships draws to a close, it is safe to say that his initial attempts have been successful.

Collectively, parents volunteering in the fifth grade classroom have volunteered over 540 hours in fostering the type of family partnerships Granlund advocates for.

The new teacher is adamant about the positive effects of bringing parents into the classroom.

He believes getting them further involved with the education of their children and their children’s peers is beneficial for the entire class.

“Quite simply, educators must partner with families to ensure optimal learning for all,” Granlund said.

He noted that some parents were initially reluctant to get involved with such an unfamiliar style of teaching.

Nevertheless, after initial volunteer work, the new program has been widely embraced.

“It has been a great experience,” Granlund said.

One parent who volunteers with the fifth grade class, Raven Summer, has been very supportive of the program.

“I thought it was a great idea. I want to be involved with my child’s education,” Summer said.

Summer assists students with handwriting and multiplication during her volunteer time and hopes the new program is here to stay.

“I hope the school can continue to do this,” Summer said.

This is not the first time Granlund has been involved in parent-educator partnerships.

He began his education career at a public parent cooperative school in Seattle, which used many of the techniques he has brought with him to his new school.

The new fifth-grade teacher also implemented the aforementioned partnerships abroad, teaching at an international school in Seoul, in the heart of the Republic of Korea.

Through his research on academic partnerships, he has found that the effectiveness of community engagement initiatives hinge on the volunteers.

“When there is a group of parents that are eager to be involved it does make a big difference,” Granlund said.

Wherever he has been so far, the new approach to youth education has worked and generated a great deal of buzz among administrators and colleagues unfamiliar with this style of proactive education.

“We are at a point in education where we know we have to do this,” Granlund said.

The educator added the effects of getting parents involved with in-class and after school activities are readily apparent, with students reacting very positively to their increased presence.

Even grandparents have turned up and gotten involved with the program as it ends its pilot year.

Some parents volunteer as reading assistants, while other focus on handwriting or their expertise in the fields of science and mathematics.

“It gave us a good chance to get to know the new teacher, other parents and the kids in the class,” Summer said.

Volunteers also assist in organizing field trips, celebrating birthdays and documenting classroom achievements.

“Our students benefit immensely from their participation,” Granlund said.

The new teacher has been thrilled with how receptive the school and parents have been to his initiative and he plans on continuing to incorporate parent volunteers into his future classes.