How to Organize a Rebellion at Your Child's School

Both my children started at a preschool last fall that we were very excited about. There were some problems in the beginning and some unhappy parents. Too many kids in too small a space. There were other issues that arose, too, and there appeared to be no forum to address these issues except in one on one meetings with the director.

Parents are at a disadvantage. There are no parent meetings, no newsletters or website. We have no shared understanding of what is going on at the school, not even in our children's classes, and so cannot together address any issue. 

The director is a self-proclaimed "non-believer" in the importance of parent involvement. (She told us this at the school's first ever parents meeting, organized only for one class due to the on-going pressure by its uppity parents.) She refuses to read any literature on the matter that I offered to share because she believes she can find other research that refutes the claim that parent involvement has a positive impact on children. And I had only suggested volunteering and a newsletter, not a School Community Council.

There was a good showing at the parent meeting, although most of the people there were not Jordanian. I have a feeling that is somehow related to the fact that almost every day the King of Jordan is on the front page of The Jordan Times. "Trust me!" the director tells us. "Don't worry!" What's the point in wasting everyone's time with all this involvement, participation and communication?

With my stealth community organizing experience, I have been approaching all this with a firm belief that we can make change if we tread carefully, involve the necessary players and start with a win-win project. It looks like that'll be the newsletter. My specialty: propaganda.