How might we improve parent-student relationships in order to reduce academic stress?
A team of One Stone learners identified that strong family relationships based on empathy and vulnerability can help reduce academic stress for students. In their research, the team found four key needs that affect the student-parent relationship. First, teenagers need ownership of family bonds, knowing that it will improve their experience in school. Students need mutual respect, which leads to better communication with parents. Students also need parent advocacy in order to help them fail forward. Finally, the team found that students need validation from parents, which motivates them to learn in the classroom.
To fulfill these needs and help students create stronger relationships, the team consulted with Jody Malterre, a parent-teacher coach and Certified Positive Discipline Trainer on ways to build better relationships. As a result of their research, the team decided to organize a fun, interactive experience called “Family De-Feud.” The event consisted of five 15-minute games, during which students and parents were separated into pairs. The first game, So You Think You Know Your Family, revealed how well students and parents knew each other by questioning the teams on their passions, future plans, and favorite Netflix shows. During another game, called Wheel Personal, student-parent teams spun a wheel to select a topic, such as vacations, holidays, and cooking experiences gone wrong. Each team was tasked with creating a story about the memory, then presenting them to the group to win prizes. An obstacle course flipped traditional familial roles by challenging kids to guide their blindfolded parents through a series of tasks. A drawing game consisted of basic questions like “what’s your favorite color?” and “draw your student’s face shape” to prompt parents and students to learn details about each other. A fifth challenge, simply titled The Compliment Game, built appreciation between students and their parents by asking them prompting questions about each others’ best qualities and strengths.
At the end of the event, each team was asked to reflect on the experience. They answered questions such as, “What did you learn about your parent/student that you didn’t know before? What was the most surprising part about this experience? What do you think you could improve on? What do you think are the biggest strengths in your relationship?”
Outcomes:
The team hosted two Family De-Feud events.
At the first event, 10 people participated.
25 people participated in the second event.
95% of participants reported finding new ways of communicating with parents, as well as an increase in comfort while talking with parents.
In the project team’s own words:
“I felt like the most valuable part of my Project Good experience was the sense of empowerment and creativity I gleaned from getting to work with a group of student leaders. Using effective strategies like brainstorming ("51-ing it"), the sticky-note throwdown, and the design thinking process, we had all the tools we needed to put a service project into action. Our implementation itself may have had a small-sized target group, but I feel we were able to form meaningful connections with our community through the process.” –One Stone member Louisa Goltry
“During implementation I was impressed with the interactions I observed between participating students and their parents. I think the activities helped the pairs learn something about each other and their relationship that they could take with them when they left. One element of the event that surprised me was the compliment game because of the raw emotion parents and students were willing to express in front of complete strangers. I didn’t picture the activity having the potential to strike such a deep chord with the participants, but by fully engaging in all the challenges presented, I think our specific group of participants gained something really valuable from the event (whether it was the simple gratification of giving or receiving a compliment from one’s parent or child, or a realization of some ways in which they could improve their communication and understanding of each other).” –One Stone member, Maeve Pierson
