FERRIDAY, La. &045; Some students at Ferriday Upper Elementary looked like they had huge growth spurts overnight, towering over the other students Wednesday.

But in reality, it was just the school’s Parents as Pupils Day, a chance for parents to become pupils again.

&uot;The way the parents participate, it is easy to imagine them as students,&uot; said fourth-grade teacher Linda Luschute, who had two parents in her room Wednesday.

&uot;They seem impressed with what the students achieve and can do.&uot;

That is what it is all about, according to Principal Lillian Franklin.

She said the idea is to get parents to take an &uot;active role&uot; which will in turn help student achievement.

The school’s improvement team decided that this year, one area in which Ferriday Upper needed to improve was getting more parents into the school.

That is so parents could &uot;get a feel for what is going on with their child Š so why not during the day,&uot; Franklin said.

In Luschute’s class, Ethel Rosenthal joined her daughter, Kadesia Thomas, and Larry Armsted came at the request of his stepdaughter, Tiffany Perkins.

One of the main student-parent activities was the reading of the play &uot;Blame it on the Wolf.&uot;

&uot;I just chose it because I know how much the children love the plays,&uot; Luschute said. &uot;It was easier for the parents to participate if they were given a part.&uot;

Both Rosenthal and Armsted seemed to enjoy their day and did not hesitate to participate, reading aloud to the class.

&uot;You get to learn how they react and what is taking place in the classroom Š and about the teacher,&uot; Armsted said.

But the parents were not the only ones that enjoyed the visit &045; students were glad to show parents what they do daily.

&uot;It makes me feel good to see a parent do our work,&uot; student Nyles Walker said.

Rosenthal said the classroom is nothing like it was when she was in school.

&uot;It’s different,&uot; she said, &uot;so different. I think they’re required to know even more.&uot;

And Rosenthal was impressed with all of the hands-on activities and materials the students use to learn.

But Franklin said there is nothing stopping the parents from visiting on a daily basis.

Ferriday Upper is an open campus, and parents are welcome to observe and participate any time. But making it an event drew parents to the school Wednesday.

&uot;What better way to understand than (to) spend a couple of hours,&uot; Franklin said.