Show Should parents bring their kids into college classrooms i r Kathryn Jones Globe Weekly News You have managed to squeak out the money for your tuition and all the necessary necessary necessary sary books and supplies have been pur pur- chased You have even talked with your boss about your new schedule and amazingly amazingly amazingly he is willing to work with you If not for one nagging thought your life would be complete complete or or at the very least as complete as anything can be while attending college Childcare No matter how hard youve you've tried youve you've tried and failed to find an honest honest honest hon hon- est hardworking daycare provider Not only that but the funds do not necessarily reflect the quality given You care about the happiness of your child and hate the fact that your child seems unhappy away from you Besides you tell yourself I am the mother My child is a newborn and sleeps most of the time or my child is older yes but he is quiet and well-behaved well he wont won't bother the class According to the 2003 Revised Student Code of Conduct prepared under the direction of the Office of the Vice President for Student Services a parent needs to think twice before bringing their child to class this is especially true of lab time and classes where in-class in group work is expected There may be labs or class activities that are inappropriate for children and the faculty member has the right to ask the parent or guardian to remove the child even if they were initially allowed to enter Words like these weigh heavily on parents whose only thought is to be the best parent for their child that they can be while still managing managing managing manag manag- ing to balance their work and school Why should women have to give up mothering mothering mothering moth moth- ering just so they can have a degree said Christy Bills a student from Salt Lake City as quoted in the La Leche League International newsletter New Beginnings Men dont don't Kids Continued on Page 12 Kids Continued from front seem to have the same constraint I believe the issue of bringing babies to class is one of equal access to education By bringing your baby to school you are setting an example for other moth moth- ers But setting an example is not what some students or teachers see They see seea a wiggly child that disturbs their concentration concentration concentration concen concen- in class Teachers may find it difficult difficult dif dif- if not impossible to focus on their lecture with the sudden outbursts that may and do come from even good children chil chil- dren I am a mother of three children and a college professor said Anne Sergeant a aLa aLa aLa La Leche League reader When considering considering considering consid consid- ering whether to bring a baby to class be respectful of the other students in the class You are all paying for this class and it is considerate not to disrupt the experience of the other students According to the La Leche League there are multiple ways to introduce I your baby or child to the college classroom classroom classroom class class- room while still taking into consideration consideration tion lion the feelings of both teacher and stu stu- stu- stu dent Talk over the situation with the instructor prior to attending the class Sign up for smaller attended classes Schedule your classes around your baby's nap time Buy a sling for your baby This leaves your hands empty for taking notes Sit closest to the door so that you can make a quick exit if you need to Bring the baby and caretaker to school and have them wait for you in the foyer or outside the campus walls on test days Be comfortable using email Communicate with your professors regarding problems that arise on campus or off Be flexible Some days your baby is just not going to be a polite visitor in class Bills said For those instances try to set up a network with other students so you can each exchange notes on days you miss class Of course missing too much class for any student can hardly be good And its it's for this reason that faculty advocate taking taking tak tak- tak- tak ing a smaller class load One or two classes would be a lot with a young child Its It's okay to be with your family and enjoy your baby If you were in my class I would work with you to help you In the world of study and class performance performance performance mance there is a real need for understanding understanding understanding under under- standing and working through the surprising surprising surprising sur sur- sur- sur and unplanned experiences children children children chil chil- dren may bring to the classroom Like institutions such as Montana State University only want the best for their students They believe all options other than bringing a child to class must be explored before the child attends class Optimal learning must be considered and as much as possible maintained in the classroom at all times Children in the classroom present at minimum a distraction and may be disruptive disruptive disruptive dis dis- dis- dis to a class According to Lisa Papas La Leche League reader there are times when bringing your child to class may maybe be the best thing you could do for everyone involved Before the first day of classes I talked to each professor All the professors professors professors pro pro- were skeptical They were concerned concerned con con- about my getting anything out of the class classes es However it ended up working beautifully My son became the official mascot |