‘I teach them what I can’: working-class mothers supporting their children’s relationship with schooling

Abstract

This text aims to demonstrate the contribution of working-class mothers to supporting their children at school and the social factors that determine the effectiveness of the practices these mothers adopt in their efforts. The mothers’ involvement in education is a complex and demanding work. It entails practices directly related to schooling, such as communication with teachers and daily homework management, as well as out-of-school time management for their children in relation to other organized activities (educational, sports, cultural) they may attend. These practices create a distinct educational context that runs in parallel with the educational context of the school. However, mothers do not share the same perceptions and practices. On the contrary, there are differences identified among them, which are directly associated with financial ability and, most importantly, the educational level of the mothers, who seem to be the family member responsible for making decisions in respect with children’s education.

Keywords:

• Mother
• working class
• education
• involvement

Acknowledgments

I am grateful to the mothers for their willing cooperation. I would also like to express my sincere thanks to the reviewers for their time and effort. I appreciate all valuable comments and suggestions, which helped me to improve the quality of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 In Greece, sixth-grade children are 12 years old.