Chapter 14 Post and Reply Due 11-13-2011 DeVries, B. A. (2011) Literacy assessment and intervention for the elementary classroom Chapter 14-Teachers, Caregivers and Community
Chapter 14 is about people of the community working together. This is very important regarding anything to do with kids. It’s amazing what people can do for our kids when they work together! Parental involvement is absolutely crucial to success in education (and every other aspect of a child’s life!). The text mentions the importance of teachers understanding their students’ home lives. I absolutely could not agree more! So many times things that are going on at home affect our students’ performance. We absolutely need to know! It is so sad to me the amount of parents that are not involved in their child’s education. My mentor teacher (social studies internship) and I were talking the other day as she was working on some stuff at her desk and she suddenly said, “Oh, 53% of my parents showed up for conferences! That’s pretty good!” and I said, “That’s good?” And she laughed and said, “Oh, I forget you’re young and think that people care!” How sad is that? I feel like that number should be so much higher!
I agree with you that parental involvement is absolutely crucial to success in education. Students not only benefit academically, but also physically, socially, and emotionally. I know that I made it where I am today because of the involvement by my parents. Knowing everything we can about our own students, including their home life, will change how we teach them. I think the more we know about them, the more we can help them succeed.
I agree that student involvement is important. It can really make or break a child. If their parents do not care if they do well in school, they may have the same attitude towards school. That is going to make them hard to teach. I hear all the time that about half the parents showed up for conferences. I think it is sad. Growing up I can't remember my mom missing one meeting because she wanted me to succeed. It is important to keep parents involved as much as possible.
Kristle C--I also wrote about the importance of parents attending Parent Teacher Conference but I had no idea the percents could be so low. I knew they were low, but nowhere near 53% low. That is so sad! I work at school district and there are parents who have never attending one of these conferences, this is also hard to imagine that parents could careless about how their students are doing in school.
-Ch. 14 discusses the collaboration between teachers, caregivers, and the community. The section titled “The Importance of Teachers Understanding Their Students’ Home Lives” goes hand in hand with what all of our professors have said since day one: “GET TO KNOW YOUR STUDENTS.” Knowing your students allows you to teach them at your full potential and for them to learn at their full potential. Communicating with your students’ parents will help you get to know them and keep them involved. This can be done by writing introductory letters and holding a parent-teacher conference at the beginning of the year, sending home newsletters, updating bulletin boards, calling or e-mailing parents, or sending home weekly portfolios with personal notes. Unfortunately, we will come in contact with difficult parents. In spite of this, we need to provide as much extra help as possible in school because they may not receive it at home. For parents who seem highly critical, show them a positive portrait of their children and let them know that you believe they have potential. For those parents who seem to not accept that their child has difficulties, let them know that with extra help from them and in class, the child will succeed. Finally, community volunteers can and should be involved in the classroom as well -I do not have any questions at this time. -I really like the idea of hosting a technology night to get parents involved. I think it is a great way to let the children show their parents what they can do and what they are good at. Having technology classes available for the parents allow the them to become knowledgeable about different programs. As a result, the parents and children can go to the library and work together. -I feel very lucky to had such great parents who were involved in my schooling. My mom was great at helping with class parties during school and sitting down with me at night to help with homework. My dad volunteered to help with some of the activities put on by the school. Knowing that my parents cared pushed me to do by best for them and made me work hard to get where I am today.
Parent involvement is such an important factor in students' succeeding in school. Working at a school of the last four years, I have really notice how true this really is. Students that do not have that extra help or parents who have a negative attitude towards school, usually end up having those same beliefs and opinions toward school. They also do not have the drive or motivators to do well in school. This is always really sad to me that parents are not encouraging for their children to succeed and achieve to their highest potential! You are really lucky to have great parents, I wish all children had that in their lives.
I also feel very lucky to have parents that were so involved in my schooling. Both of my parents always went to my conferences and they always made sure I had my homework done. My mom would spend so much time getting me ready for spelling tests and reading to me. I appreciate it so much more now!I also thought the technology night for the parents was a good idea.
I completely agree with on the importance of getting to know your students! I feel like we can provide our students with a much better chance of success if we know them and know their likes and dislikes, what works for them and what doesn't work for them, and what their home life is like! You are very lucky that your parents were so involved with your schooling (and in your life I presume!). Mine were also! It's unfortunate that not all students get to have that! I guess that's where kind, caring, and respectful teachers get to jump in and let the student know we care too!
Sara D - I couldn't agree with you more on the importance of knowing our students. Growing up in a rural town has shown me just how important it is in knowing your students as well as showing your students the same respect you ask of them. I am sure I am not going to agree with everything my students believe in but that does not mean I get to disrespect them.
Chapter 14 talks about the collaboration between teachers, caregivers, and the community. I absolutely loved reading this chapter. I am from a small rural town where everyone knows everyone and we all are there to help each other out in a time of need. I loved how the information from this chapter is exactly what we have been drilled about here at Fort Hays State. Our professors have explained to us the importance of knowing each and every one of our students home life. Not only that our professors push us to know the likes and dislikes of each and every one of our students. We get a small example of that during our internships but we do not really know what the “home life” of our students really is.
By knowing your students you as an educator are able to teach them to the best of their ability to learn. As well all know by now students learn differently and it is our job to seek the best way for each and every child to learn. Then we are required to teach them in that was as well as give them variety to learn different ways.
Words can’t describe what I have learn though out this semester and what I am still learning. I have experienced things that I never thought I would. I am eager to get my hands on some students in my home community. I will be doing my last internship back home and then student teaching in a town about 15 miles away from my home town where I plan of living. Thank you for a wonderful semester Mrs. Stopple. I appreciate all the resources you have shared with me.
I agree that by knowing your students you as an educator are able to teach tehm the best of their ablitity to learn! If you know your students you will understand better when they are haveing a difficult day, nothing is going their way. This is one of the reasons I want to be a teacher, I want to make a differnce and knowing my students will help this.
I am also from a small rural community, and do not want to change, and understand what you mean by everyone being around for each other. I grew up in the small community, went to college (the 1st time) in a large community, and have moved back to the small community. Everyone is "too busy" and distracted in the large areas, therefore the neighborly actions are minimal compared to small communities. I love the small rural country life!
Chapter 14 is about Teachers, Caregivers, and The Community Working in Collaboration. It starts off by listing three things that are the school’s responsibility to parents are: scheduling regular communication between home and school, supporting parenting skills, and involving parents in major decisions. Then again parents have the responsibility to the teachers: assisting in their child’s learning, volunteering at school, and collaborating with the community to provide resources to the schools. It goes on to list the importance of teachers understanding their students’ home life. Engaged parents believe they can affect their child’s education, they are important in their child’s development, their school wants their help, and they can be successful in helping with their child’s learning. Introductory Letter, introductory parent-teacher conference, newsletters, bulletin boards, parents’ nook, telephone calls or e-mails, happy grams, portfolios with personal notes, daily welcome, and family-teacher conferences are ways the teacher can communicate with parents. Then it gives suggestions for establishing a home-school literacy connection such as reading together, summer reading programs, traveling tales, and word study. Community volunteers section talks about what the volunteers should be taught, and ways to help students with reading. Caregivers involvement and technology: technology night, technology classes for parents, technology in the home is the last section this chapter talks about. I know this is a section on working with difficult parents, but I was wondering if you use what the text suggests and it doesn’t work. How do you reach out and get them somewhat involved? When I was in elementary school parents would bring snacks if it was the students birthday, help with the Halloween parade, but those are the only things I remember parents helping with.
I like your statement about parents having a responsibility to teachers in assisting their child's learning. This is a great point and I wish all parents saw it this way. A teacher can only do so much but everything a teacher does in school can easily be built on at home if the parents are willing. I also wish more parents would volunteer at school. they could help out their child's classroom so much. Even it it just entails copying papers for the teacher. Parents do need to understand that they affect their child's education. I think as future educators we'll have to always remind our students parents of this. I think if you use what the text says and it doesn't work you collaborate with your colleagues. Maybe you have as special conference with the parents and the principal so they know the principal is confident in you as a teacher and your ability to teach their child. You also get ideas from your colleague teachers. Maybe they have a different strategy that may work for you. If nothing else, you work with what you've got. Sometimes parents are unreachable in their opinions and you just have to set your boundaries and focus on helping their child no matter what. Good post!
Chapter fourteen covered the topic of teachers working in collaboration with caregivers and parents of our students. Having the parents or caregivers of students involved in their educational endeavors has been researched to dramatically effect that students ability to succeed in school. Teachers enabling parents to stay informed on what is expected of their child to learn, and keeping them updated on their challenges and successes is another requirement of teachers in the classroom. This will be another factor in making sure the student in receiving the best education and achieving their full potential. Teachers attain this by sending home letters, having conferences, through email or phone calls, and take home daily agendas or notebooks. This chapter is very informative on how to handle parents that are not involved and parents that are overly involved. These tips are very helpful and I am sure I will implement them when I am a teacher!
I want to have a lot of contact with the parents/caregivers of my students throughout the year. I just hope I can keep it up because I am a forgetful person! I have seen a parents involvement or lack there of make a huge different in a students education. I have also seen the influence of a difficult parent does on the student. It's incredible! The more positive and open we can make it, the better!
I agree that keeping parents informed is extremely important. As a parent I really appreciate it that my daughter's teacher keeps me informed. I have the luxury of seeing her everyday (not everyone is able to do so) when I drop my daughter off in the mornings. She always lets me know if there are any issues or successes. when parent teacher conferences roll around there are no surprises, and I like that.
1. Analysis of reading/issue. Chapter 14 discusses parental/caregiver and community involvement in education. This includes ways to keep parents in the loop and having a connection between home and school to help the students. There’s also a discussion about parents who don’t seem to care about education or are difficult. There’s also a section about community volunteers. 2. Questions/contradictions about the reading issues. I don’t have any questions at this time. 3. How did the reading reflect you or allow you to look at an issue differently. I like having parents/caregivers and community involved, but there is a point when it can be too much. I get nervous because in small schools rumors can start here and things start to get harder. However, I like having the support and help from everyone! 4. Connecting the reading to you. Examples of your own experience. I have had parents that didn’t give me a chance. I did everything I could to change that, but there was never anything I could do. I didn’t know what else to do, and I went to the principal and they didn’t give me any help with the situation at all. Reading the difficult parent part was interesting and gave me some good ideas.
Kate, I know that rumors do spread quickly in smaller communities, however I agree with you that having support from everyone is important. I know that when I was younger the community from my home town was always involved in the school. I hope to have that support when I get into my classroom.
Chapter 14 mentions the importance of parents ensuring that their children get enough sleep. From what I have seen in the classroom this couldn't be stressed enough. There is a huge difference in students' attitudes, behaviors, and performance on the days they didn't get enough sleep compared to the days they did. The text also suggests that teachers publish a list of "good parenting tips" in a newsletter. I disagree that teachers should tell parents how to parent. Instead I would include articles or statistics that support topics such as amount of sleep and its affect on student performance or lists of homework tips. I would never offer parents tips on parenting unless they asked me for it. As a parent I would be offended if someone took it upon themselves, no matter how well intended they might be, to tell me how to be a parent unsolicited. I really like the Traveling Tales idea of sending home backpacks or suitcases filled with writing materials so the parents can write a story with their student. They go through the writing process together to produce a story, and are invited to share the story in class. I think this is a great idea. I do wonder if the students would bring the materials back as scheduled though so other students could take it home.
I agree, teacher should not tell parents how to parent their children. They should provide them with the information that will help them to make the best decisions. I am not sure all parents will care to read the articles that are sent home but it would be a good idea to create a classroom blog or website that parents and students can go on to obtain this information.
Chapter 14 addresses a situation that I don’t think occurs nearly often enough in today’s schools. It talks about collaboration between teachers and parents/the community. I’m so very lucky to have supportive parents with my tutoring students. I feel lucky because I’ve seen many scenarios where the parents could care less about their child’s education and they see it as the teachers job to be the only one involved in their child’s education. One of the first things the text talks about is how crucial parental involvement is in a child’s education. I know one major factor that plays a role in establishing a working relationship with the student’s parents is knowing their home life situation. Knowing the parents and students in this manor will allow a teacher to understand how to best communicate and work with the parent. When a parent feels like the teacher understands them and is parenting with them in their child’s education it makes them more willing to work with them and be involved. The text listed some great ways of how to communicate with parents, from letters to phone calls to a parent’s nook in the school. The parent’s nook was the only form I communication that I had not heard of in this chapter. A parent’s nook would consist of a corner in the school dedicated to books, magazines, and pamphlets for parents to check out and use. This may help motivate parents to simply come to the school and this alone could open many doors for communication. I think another great communication tool in today’s world would be the Internet. I love the idea of having a class website with a blog just for parents. If a teacher has a parent who never comes to the school but likes to use the Internet at home this could be a great communication tool for them. One other section of the chapter that caught my attention was the section on difficult parents. Even just through internships I’ve witnessed many difficult parents who were very critical with my mentor teachers. When I asked for my mentor’s advice on how I should handle parents like this in the future she stressed that I let them know what I’m doing and that I am a professional. This was again stressed in this chapter. It’s important that parents know that you, as an educator, know what you’re doing and teachers should not be afraid to let them know this! This part also talked about stopping parents when they come in at an inappropriate time. This is important because again, they need to know that you are a professional and they have to respect that. I think educators have to deal with a lot of awkward and confrontational situations with parents but it is important to remember that they are qualified to do that job. A teacher should never doubt that. That should always be confidant in their abilities, despite what critical parents may say. This chapter has definitely got me thinking of the situations I’m going to more than likely occur as an educator. It’s a bit nerve wracking but I will just have to remember to act like professional in all situations because that’s what I will be, a professional.
This chapter talks about community and parent involvement. I can say the more involved a parent is the more the student will benefit from the instruction. If you are doing things at school and it is transferring to home that student will catch on so much faster. It also helps that child emotionally. They feel more connected to that parent and feel as if they matter. Some children need that sense of belonging to succeed. This chapter also mentions bulletin boards. I think bulletin boards are awesome. They are important to let parents know what their children are doing and also a way to advertise an event or something. This chapter has a lot of different ways to communicate effectively with a parent. It also has great advice when working with difficult parents.
This chapter did obtain relevant advice. Open communication is very important for positive attitudes of parents and students. I too liked the idea of incorporating information on bulletin boards. I thought the happy gram would be a fun incorporation to build up the students.
In order for me to have a classroom full of students that succeed I am going to have to get to know them and their parents very well. Our text states that parental involvement is a huge ingredient in their child’s education. They need to be involved in assisting their child’s learning, volunteering at school and collaborating with the community to provide resources to the schools. One of the biggest problems I’ve faced this semester in my internship and tutoring is having absent students and students who never ever bring back one thing their suppose. I never know if one of my little girls for tutoring is going to be there and her teacher tells me that she’s late every morning by at least an hour. It’s really frustrating knowing that she’s only in the first grade and this is already happening so frequently. At my internship if my students are assigned homework or given anything that’s suppose to come back to school it usually never makes it back. They aren’t given homework very often but it never comes back to school and I can tell how frustrated my mentor teacher gets. The bulleted list in our books about understanding our students home lives is almost scary to read. For instance, the one about some parents overemphasizing the importance of being popular or thin. I would have never thought this was an issue. However, I know the better I know and understand where my students come from the easier it will be for me to teach to my students needs. I really liked reading the section in the book about working with difficult parents. Not all parents are going to want to cooperate so it’s nice to know what to do with parents that don’t value their child’s education, parents that seem highly critical, and parents who don’t want to accept their child has educational difficulties. With all the technology we have now the possibilities of parental involvement and communication are endless. I think it’s important to remember that not all families will have the same opportunities though because they may not have all the technology that other families do. Each year we will get a new set of students and a new set of parents to get to know. This chapter and my experiences so far have taught me it will be difficult but it is necessary for a child’s success.
Chapter 14 is about teachers, caregivers, and the community collaborating. I appreciate that the text states the individual responsibilities the school and parents are responsible for when educating students. As scaffolded with educational psychology, chapter 14 emphasizes understanding the students’ home life in accordance to their school performance. Additionally, chapter 14 states that parental involvement can improve a student’s social interactions, physical wellbeing, performance, emotional wellbeing, and academics. A vital part of keeping communication lines open is by incorporating introductory letters, newsletters, and happy grams are just a few methods to aid in parent involvement. Additionally, chapter 14 gives tips on how to interact with difficult parents.
I have no questions about the reading. I did like however that it ties into what I have been learning about in educational psychology. In my opinion, positively working with parents is an essential element to allow the students to experience success in the classroom. This semester during tutoring I emailed the parents of my students reminders of tutoring sessions and gave them my cell phone number as a symbol of open communication lines. On the first day of tutoring, I sent home a letter with an explanation of what to expect from the tutoring sessions. This allows the parents to be active in their child’s education.
I agree that communication with parents is key. As you also mentioned, another important aspect of communication is that it is positive. I think what you did to communicate with the parents of the students you are tutoring is great. It let them know that you were available, what to expect, and that you cared.
Chapter 14 discusses teachers, caregivers, and the community working in collaboration. I knew that the different roles teachers, caregivers, and the community played in a child’s life and education were important before reading this chapter. However, I didn’t know all the reasons why. This chapter does a great job of explaining the importance of each role and how each role intersects with each other. I like the section that discusses the differences in students home lives on page 360. This was a big eye opener to me, because I hadn’t considered all the different things that can affect how a student responds to different situations at school. A child may seem at times difficult, but may just not understand your expectations or their expectations at home may be radically different from what we want to see at school. The next section discusses the importance of parental involvement. I knew this before reading this chapter, but didn’t fully understand all the benefits or how to keep the parents as involved as possible. I like how the text lists several different ways that teachers can communicate with parents. Many of these I had not thought of, but thought were great alternatives to standard emails or phone calls. Lastly, I found the section “Working with Difficult Parents” helpful. This has been somewhat of a fear of mine since I decided to go into education, because I know it is inevitable. I think that with the suggestions of how to approach different types of difficult parents in this text, I will feel more confident in my ability to communicate with them in a positive and productive way. I know this will only get better with practice. Overall, this chapter was full of great information and focused on something very important, helping students succeed!
This chapter I feel is the most important chapter. It discusses collaboration between teacher, caregivers, and parents. I feel that collaboration is the most important key feature to a school working. There has to be collaboration between the classroom teachers and co-working, parents, paraprofessional, and everyone that is involved in the school. I come from a rural community were everyone is informed of what’s going on. I remember when I was little my teachers sent home newsletters that said what we were doing the next week in class, what was coming up in the community, and fun things that we had done or were planning on doing. I feel that having the parents and the community behind you is important but at times it can be a little overwhelming having people down your back at all times. I know that word travels fast in small communities and so I could see some things becoming a problem. I didn’t inquire any questions during this chapter.
I agree that the communication / collaboration between the parents / caregivers and the teacher is incredibly important to the level of success a student has in school. Without it the students have little or no support at home, and the teachers definitely need this support from the parents as well. For example, students can learn to read at school, but if those skills aren't practiced away from school there will be little or no gain in that student's reading abilities. (This could apply to every subject taught too, not just reading / writing.)
It's interesting to hear you talk about the rural community you grew up in. I have always lived in bigger cities and our classroom newsletters never told us what was coming up in the community.
The first thing that stuck out to me in this chapter was in the ‘Introduction’ where the author stated what three things the school is responsible for and the three things that parents are responsible for. Both schools and parents have the child’s best interest at heart, but each is responsible for different aspects. Sadly, I feel that with each new school year parents are less and less involved in their child’s education. One thing I will never understand is that a parent claims to be involved, yet won’t get involved in anyway other than showing up to a holiday party in the classroom. I have witnessed this throughout my observations and internships, and honestly showing up to a party isn’t involvement.
I loved all of the different ways a teacher can communicate with parents / guardians about what is going on with their student or in the classroom in general. Of course every teacher has parent-teacher conferences twice a year, but I think there are better ways to get to the parents, on a more frequent basis. Newsletters have always been popular, and with Internet consuming our lives doing a blog or sending out e-mails would be just as effective. With technology though, you need to know the student’s background and home life. You can’t use a blog or weekly e-mail if half of the students’ parents do not have access to the Internet or e-mail.
The ideas to establish school-home literacy connections were great. One thing I remember doing in elementary school was similar to the activity ‘Traveling Tales.’ It was a little lunchbox wit a teddy bear in it. I believe we also had it for 2 days or so, and with that we would write what we did with the bear. Everyone would share what he or she wrote about with the class when they brought the bear back.
You hit the nail on the head as far as I am concerned with parents becoming less involved. It seems as more technology evolves, parents are placing their children in front of televisions, computers, ipads, ipods, etc. rather than being a hands-on parent and becoming actively involved in your child's educational process.
I also like how you made it a point about internet access, because although a lot of America is being consumed in the internet world, depending upon the type of SES the district you work in has, the statistic may be considerably lower. I think it's important to adapt to the needs of the parents as best as possible. I once read that any type of documentation that is set home for parents to read must be written at 4th grade reading level because that is the national average. I am not sure where that is from, but I am pretty sure it was from a textbook because it has stuck with me since then because it is just a hard fact to swallow.
The most critical piece of information that I believe I took away from this chapter was that parent involvement encompasses both involvement at school and involvement at home. I think that more recently, parents are placing too much pressure on teachers for their child’s academics (this may be a matter of opinion), and so I found it interesting that studies have shown that involvement at home impacts students’ learning more than at school. Although I am not a parent, after working in public schools and being a nanny, it seems that parents need to be more aware of this statistic.
The list that was provided for teachers understanding their students’ lives was incredibly long, and it just shows how empathetic and understanding educators have to be in regards to their students. I know I have put this in a previous post, but again it kind of goes back to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, where if basic needs are not met, children will not be productive. Working in public schools for a few years has provided me with examples of teachers that I do want to be like and those that I don’t. More often than not, teachers became frustrated with students because they lacked empathy and understanding of the student’s home life.
In addition, I found the information on methods of communicating with parents quite helpful. It is often overlooked for teachers to send home good reports of their students and tend to only make contact when there is an issue that needs to be resolved. I already have purchased seasonal books that have included layouts for letters to parents that I think will be a good resource for my own classroom and I am looking forward to using them.
Parents are a huge part of the learning process. It is important that parents want to help their children succeed. I see this a lot that parents want the best for their children, but for some reason don't want to put forth the effort it takes to help them when they are home. When my son comes home from school the first thing he does is homework and then he can play. It is important that he sits down and does it while I am there to help him when he needs it. Parents should have some type of system at home, what ever system works, so that their child succeeds to his/her fullest.
The last chapter of this book emphasis the importance of working together. Everyone has an important role when it comes to children in school. Parental involvement is very crucial and the chapter goes into detail about this. Other than the obvious helping your children learn, the text explains two types of ways parents can get involved, school and home involvement. Home involvement is pretty self-explanatory and most parents know what to do, but some chose not to. Honestly did not realize how important it was to be involved with the school until I read this chapter. I really liked how this chapter had a strong focus on how teachers need to UNDERSTAND their student’s home lives. I have met a few teachers that think their students families situations are not anything in particular. I really liked how the chapter bulleted the information. This made it easier to read and understand. Of course, in order to understand their students, there should be open communication. The chapter made great suggestions in how to keep the communication line open. Introductory letters are such a great idea. This immediately gives the good first impression to the parents. The section that I was really interested in reading about is the section over working with difficult parents. The text did a great job explaining on how to deal with parents that do not accept their child’s difficulties, or seem very critical. This is one part about teaching that I am nervous about. I do not have any questions at this time, but if I did it would be over how to handle demanding parents and parents who seem much uninvolved.
I am with you 100% on everything you said about the student's home life. It all starts there. As teachers, we appreciate when the parents are involved, and totally and completely committed to their child's education.
It all starts in the home, and I believe that with all my heart. Chapter 14 talks about teachers, caregivers, and the community, all collaborating together for a common good. And that common good being the education of the next generation. All 3 aspects, teachers, caregivers, and community, must be in unison and I believe then that child will have the maximum potential for them to succeed.
I have seen both cases, in which something was left one in a child's education, and all too often it is the caregivers (parents). During one of my internships, I had a particular boy that was struggling in school. He would show up late, hair frazzled, and looking sleepy. That was such a tall task for the teacher to get this young fellow motivated at that point to start learning. In my opinion, if the caregivers at home would have made sure this young man had gotten a good night's sleep, got up and took a shower, and got to school on time, he might be in a better position to succeed.
Then on the other hand, I have seen where all 3 aspects are in unison. In this case, the outside factors of lack of sleep, shower, or food was not a problem. It was easy to tell that this child's caregivers were committed to the education of their child.
I am in no way stating that Student A was a worse student that Student B. I am just expressing my view between, what I believe, to be two separate views by the caregivers, thus throwing off the balance between them, the teachers, and community personnel.
All 3 are so vital in the education of our young students. They need everyone involved to be 100% committed to them, so they can grow up and be the great generation we know they will be.
Cody - I think we will all encounter children in our careers that are just like the one from your internship. It's so sad to see those children come to school disheveled, tired, and sometimes hungry too. We just have to be there for those children and do our best to encourage, support, and even provide extra guidance to those who really need it and will most likely not get it from anyone else. I used to keep a stash of snacks in my desk because a few students I saw each morning never had much to eat. While it wasn't in my job description to do that, I felt compelled to do so. If I could do that one little thing that might help their brain shift into gear and get them to focus on school rather than their growling tummy, then that's what I needed to do. I know lots of teachers who do this...and they do it because they care about their students and want to help them succeed. I can tell that you will be one of those teachers!
It is sad to think that the student you described is going to be fairly common in our future classrooms. This example is why it is so important that we try to build a relationship with parents so we can express our concerns and the parents not feel like they are being attacked.
1. Analysis of the reading/issue: Students need help from their teachers, parents, and community so that they can be the most successful students possible. I truly believe that this is true. Chapter 14 lists some very specific ways each entity can be involved in a student’s education. First, a student’s education starts in the home with the involvement of their parents or caregivers. Second, a student’s teacher continues that education at school and helps the third entity, the community, to become involved and active in the school system. While all of these entities are important in a student’s education, is it possible for a student to succeed without one of them? I believe it is. It DOES make success hard to achieve, but I guarantee that not all students will have every advantage like we would hope. Therefore, as a student’s teacher, that added responsibility sometimes falls on us. If we see a weakness in this aspect of a student’s education, we are sometimes going to need to find a way to involve a parent or recruit a community volunteer. The text gives a number of great ways to learn about our student’s home life, involve their parents, make parents feel welcome, and find a way to promote a positive outlook in regards to the student’s education. If we know that researchers have proven that students are more successful with all three entities working together for the students, why wouldn’t we as teachers do everything possible to make that happen for our students? 2. Questions and/or contradictions about the reading/issue: I have no questions about the reading. Prior to the reading, I wondered what strategies I might need to use with the variety of parents or caregivers we are sure to encounter. After reading this chapter, I feel much more prepared to initiate the parent-teacher relationship. 3. How did the reading reflect you or allow you to look at an issue differently? I think that sometimes parents and teachers don’t see eye-to-eye for a number of reasons. One of the things I really took away from this chapter was that we (as teachers) need to really listen to what parents are communicating to us. Every family is different, so we need to keep an open mind and be willing to honestly discuss things with each parent or caregiver.
4. Connecting the reading to you. Examples of your own experience: As a reading para, I worked with a student who really needed intensive intervention for reading. He was very frustrated in terms of his skills and reading ability. We gave him and his parents every opportunity to work at home on those things as well as working with him at school. Despite our best efforts to help this child, his homework came back unsigned and not done. I personally became frustrated with the lack of parental support I seemed to be getting from his family. The reading specialist said that all we could do was keep providing those opportunities, continue to communicate with the parents, and continue to work with the student during school hours. During the spring semester, I happened to see this child with his parents at a track meet. They had taken him out of school (yet again) to watch his sister’s track meet. The picture that had been painted for me of this situation by other staff members, however, was way off the mark. These parents were very nice and happy to see their son had bonded so well with me. I could see how much they loved and adored their son. I expressed my sincere feelings for the child, as he is a wonderful and loving kid. Throughout the day, I chatted with them about his progress and their concerns. I learned that he had gone through several heart operations as a toddler. Everyone feared that his brain suffered in some way due to the lack of oxygen it received during these situations, although there was no real evidence to prove this. They also told me that he was still not in the clear about how long he might live. Estimations given to the family ranged from one year to 10 years, although nobody knows for certain. This family explained that because of their son’s health forecast, they were choosing to enrich his life in any way they could. They wanted him to experience everything that they could possibly offer him. After looking at the situation from their perspective, I could see why they chose to do all the activities they were doing rather than have him sit at home doing homework. This family really opened my eyes to how important it is to get to know each family and communicate with them!
1. Analysis of the reading/issue. Chapter 14 described many ways to get parents involved in their student’s education. The chapter also listed several situations in a child’s life that teachers should make themselves aware of .There were five reason that parents become engaged in their child’s education. 1. They can affect their child’s education; I think that if parents feel like they can be a have a positive effect on their child’s education then they will become engaged. One thing that was mentioned for new teachers is to write an introductory letter to parents and students before the school year starts. I think this is a great way to show that you are excited for the upcoming year. Another recommendation is to write good news letters to parents. Parents love hearing about the good things and the success of their child. One suggestion is to create a happy gram. You can make your own design and then put it on brightly colored paper. The chapter also had a huge list of important tips for teachers during conferences. Some of these tips are very good. I will have to refer to them when I begin my first conferences. Getting parents involved in their child’s learning is very important and this chapter has some great ideas for getting that done. One idea that was mentioned was Traveling Tales. I personally love this idea. I have never heard of this before but I would like to use it when I get a classroom. 2. Questions and/or contradictions about the reading/issue. No questions 3. How did the reading reflect you or allow you to look at an issue differently? One thing that I look at a little differently is the engagement of parents. The text discusses how important it is to have parents get involved. It also mentions how teachers need to realize that parents are tired or busy with work when they assign things for the students to do with their parents. I liked the idea that the teacher provides them options, not just straight forward directions. 4. Connecting the reading to you. Examples of your own experience. One thing that I really connected with was the happy grams. I don’t know that my teacher called them that but I remember in lower elementary receiving something similar. In fact my mother made a book of all the good reports that were sent home and I know that she kept the little pieces of paper that said I did a great job that day. It is the little things that add up to the big things.
Chapter 14 is over the collaboration between teachers, caregivers, and the community. This chapter talks about how important parental involvement is and the importance of teachers understanding their student's home lives. I believe these are two very important situations to understand if you want to become a teacher. You are always going to have parents that are not involved what so ever and have student's whom have very rough home lives. I work at a school district and we see this on a daily basis. It is so sad to me that some students have parents whom never attend parental teacher conference or who never take their children to spring and Christmas programs. Parents need to know how important their involvement can mean to their students. I am sure these parents think that their child does not care whether they are their or not, but sadly enough, I am sure it effects all students no matter if they admit it or not. This chapter allowed me to take a step back and see the type of teacher I want to become. I want to to be the type of teacher students can come to if they are having problems at home and I want to be able to recognize different situations that are going on at home that they do not want anyone to know about. I want to be a very alert teacher when it comes to my students!
Kristi, It is sad when parents could care less. although many parents are involved, there are those few students who get the short end of the stick all the time. what can we do as teacher? Show them that we care, their education is important to us, we want to see them succeed. Give them a reason to work hard. Our student's have so many dynamics going on in their lives and parents have so many personal situations tugging at them (food needs, shelter, bills, the job or lack of) that sometimes school and their child's education has to takes a back seat. This is a sad fact.
Kristi, I agree and think it is so sad that many parents do not take an interest in their children's education. It is part of our job as educators to try to help the parents see how important their child's education is and what a major role they play in their education.
Chapter 14 by far my favorite read and probably because it is a subject I feel very passionate about. With everything that I learn on teaching strategies and behavior management, and with all that I pour into my students, parental or caregiver involvement plays a key role in my student’s success. They have to buy into the program. If not, their attitude towards my student’s education could sabotage all of my hard work. I know because at one time I was on the other end of the spectrum and always questioned why the teacher was all up in my home business. I didn’t understand the important role home life played in the school day like breakfast, going to bed early and getting enough rest, stress at home, discipline or the lack of, doing homework. I just wanted the teacher to do their job and I would do my job of raising my child. I didn’t understand that my job affected her ability to do her job. I totally agree that when a parent values school and monitors homework, the student has a more positive attitude towards learning. I now understand how important it is to communicate with parents and let them know the value of their involvement. If we educate them on the important role they play in their child’s education, maybe they won’t think that we are just being nosey or snooping into their personal lives but our many questions will make sense to them. I think that I would like to send out a newsletter the first week of school that documents many of the things that the book points out about parent involvement. Then parents of my students will be well informed on what things they should be doing. We can’t just assume they know these things because a lot of these things I only learned since going back to school to become an educator. I understand that not all parents will be involved but for those who want to get involved, this information will be invaluable. Pg 366 list 12 traits teachers desire parents to have. Perfect for a newsletter home to parents but I believe that to get parents to buy in, you also have to explain the benefits of these traits. I would also list traits parents desire teachers to have so that my parents know that it is give and take, I am willing to work hard also.
I also think this chapter was one of my favorites. This is a topic that is not discussed a lot in our courses, but will be a major part of our careers. I think too often we focus so heavily on the students that we forget that our job en tells a lot more, and communication with parents is one of them. I like how you read this chapter in a parental perspective and and educator perspective. You are right a lot of parents don't realize how much impact the students home life as on their school life. I have had teachers tell me that they had to educator parents on the importance of making sure their child did their homework, ate breakfast, went to bed on time, and many of the other task that we think of as common sense. Many parents don't see that connection and as an educator it is not only your job to educator your students on the importance of these task but to also educator parents on the importance of helping and making sure their students do these task. I like your idea of sending home a newsletter showing how important parental involvement is for students, I think it will educator your parents and let them know that you are willing to work hard for their student. My one suggestion is make sure that your newsletter comes off as light hearted and caring, you don't want parents to think that you are already pointing fingers at them or asking them to do even more than they already do. If parents feel this way than it may make them not want to help and or take an active role in there students education, they may say the same thing you did, "you do your job and all do mine."
Chapter 14 discusses the relationship of teachers, caregivers, and the community working in collaboration with students and education. This chapter entails the importance of educators understanding their students individually and where they come from; the communities involvement; parents involvement; and educators working and communicating with parents. I grew up in a small rural community and currently live in the same environment, and the parents and community relationship with the school is huge, meaningful, and important. There are several actions from the community and parents towards the school that would not be able to occur if there was not the assistance from the community. The school and students would just not be able to fund or do for themselves. I wish to be a part of this action as an educator and a parent in the near future. I found the scenario with Mr. Blackhawk at the beginning of the chapter very interesting! The description of the parents and different characteristics involved in students education was an eye opener. It was something that I don't really think about currently daily, but having read it and thought about it, it really is amazing and somewhat disturbing. Fortunately, I had parents that were greatly involved and cared. However this is real and is an important factor to consider when assisting students. I wish to do my best in the future to be a part of my students' lives and children, to help them to do their best in succeeding. I have no questions.
Sheena, what a cute picture. The interaction you have experienced with your previous education sounds positive and meaningful. No matter where we teach we are going to encounter a wide range of personalities and thus need to learn how to communicate with all individuals. I feel the chapters in this book have better prepared me for the future career we have chosen in teaching. Good Luck!
Chapter 14 is over parental involvement and community support. We all love working with students and are signed up for the many challenges that we face in the process of teaching a classroom. But for me the scariest and most challenging part of being a teacher is dealing with parents. I know that it occurs on a daily bases but many times we focus so much on the students that we forget that a large part of our job will be communicating with parents. I like that the chapter points out that there are usually about 5 different types of parent that you will encounter; those that take on active role in their students education, those that don’t care, those that can’t help their students, those that refuse to believe their student needs help, and those that believe the teacher is to blame for everything. I could imagine how scary it would be to send your child to school to spend 6-7 hours a day with a stranger, so as an educator it’s important to know what parents expect from us, and the students home life o that we can ease that stress and know how to teach each student. Parents expect teachers to know, care and communicate about teaching their child. To me this doesn’t seem like they are expecting too much from the person that is going to leave a permanent impression on my student. Studies have shown that parental involvement is improves students academic, physical well being, social skills and emotional well being. These are all great reason to have parental involvement, but parents will only be involved if they believe they will affect their child’s education, development and learning and that the school makes them feel welcome and want their help. The next section has some great (modern) ways to communicate with parents. I will defiantly use some or most of these strategies in my career. The next section list 12 characteristics that we wish all parents did. These are great and I can only hope that I get a classroom full of students from these parents, but I think it important to remember that you won’t always and you will have to work around that in order to teach that student. The last very important section was over working with difficult parents. Many of these are common sense, but they are very important advice that I will defiantly use when I am teaching. Overall I think this chapter was very beneficial, it’s a topic not often discussed but can be very challenging.
I also liked how the book broke parents up into different groups but I think they left one group out. Parents who have a first time student in school are also their own group. I remember when I was a mom with a new school age child I didn't even know that I had to bring his birth certificate with me to enroll him into school. These parents just want someone to help guide them through some of the things that are expected of them so I think communication especially in the kindergarten and first grade classrooms are important. Parents need to be given information on what is expected of them for their children to be successful. I think that the school, teachers, and administrators making the parents feel welcome is a huge part of it as well. I know I have been involved in schools that did not make me feel welcome to be there and that was hard to know how I should be involved.
"Act as if it were impossible to fail." Dorothea Broude What a wonderful quote to begin this chapter. Just thinking you can it half the battle. One of the first highlighted areas of this chapter is information that I think many current teachers need to go back and read. The importance of teachers understanding the home lives of their students is knowledge that should be a high priority. Such as knowing that many improverished families move frequently due to circumstances beyond their control. These students may attend two or three school in one school year. I think that just knowing we have a short time with each of our students is information that should be taken to heart. Make the most of our days as teachers and try to make a difference to each student each day. As far as engaged parents goes, this is a blessing that not all teachers have the benefit of encountering. I believe that parents can be our best advocates. Communication is the key between parents and teachers. I just love the "happy gram" in figure 14.4. Simple notes like this one can keep the student motivated to work hard for encouraging notes to go home to mom or dad. Working with difficult parents can be challenging. When parents do not value education or are critical then as teachers we should roll out the welcome mat and offer to explain how the classroom works to the parents. Working with parents is one of the things that I am apprehensive about when I think about teaching. At times I do not feel prepared to deal with critical or overbearing parents. But I do realize this comes with the territority of teaching and will open my arms and welcome any and all parents of my students. I want to bridge the gap between parents and teachers to make the communication seamless so that the student encounters a win-win situation both at home and at school.
I think in general, my concern with parent involvement is that I am seeing less and less of it (and I'm just talking the time in the last four years since I've started observations and internships)! It's becoming the norm that both parents work. With that I think the teacher needs to be willing to reach out and make sure that there is communication and that he or she is supporting a positive experience for family involvement in each students' life.
In chapter 14 the text discusses how important it is to have parents, caregivers, teachers, and the community to be able to collaborate. The book states how important it is for teachers to understand the background of each of their students. This comes into a major effect with different cultures. I know I was in one internship where one student did not respect his teacher, because in his culture women were not viewed as an authority. As a teacher we need to be aware of the students' background and an idea of what type of home life each student experiences. This will help us when understanding each of our students and what type of help they are receiving at home if any.
Also when it comes to parents it is very important to get parents/guardians involved with the students' education. A parent's involvement can and will greatly influence their child's education. Also communication between a teacher and a parent if very vital. It is important that we try very hard to build a relationship between the parent and ourselves. We first need to introduce ourselves so that the parents know who we are and are comfortable speaking and meeting with us. This gives us an ally with the student's education.
I think the relationship between the parent and teacher is so important. Parents are people too and they like to feel important. If we remind them how important they are to their child's success and our job as teachers they will want to be involved.
Chapter 14 Teachers, Caregivers, and the Community Working in Collaboration. This really pulls at my strings. I see so many problems when parents are not on the same page as the teacher. It comes back to knowing your students, knowing their lifestyles. When parents, caregivers, teachers, and others are on the same page then it leaves no excuses for the student. Students do better when parents are involved, their emotional as well as physical state. Parents who are more involved know what is expected of students. They can help them do homework. Weekly news letters let parents know what is going on. Inviting them in often to see what the children are doing. Calls, emails, or short notes home especially for good reports not just bad reports. Bulletin boards or things the children have done put up for parents to see what they are doing. Portfolios and journals help parents keep up with everything going on. Students doing conferences lets the children show parents how they are doing. Conferences allow parents a time to ask question without taking the teachers eyes off the students. Volunteers can help boost children’s self esteem; Rif Readers, a person to have lunch with. I don’t have any question but I know it is so important to get everyone involved if we want to be successful.
I really like sending home newsletters and establishing a website/blog to keep all students, parents and community leaders involved and informed. Additionally, the website/blog can allow an educator to remind families of upcoming school and classroom activities as well as preparing them for larger projects that families may need to assist their students with. The more informed, the more support can be built.
This chapter discussed the importance of classroom collaboration between families, community members and the classroom. Not all students will be living with their biologic parents so it is essential for all students to feel as if their classroom is an extension of home. I am a firm believer in having the parents and community as involved in my classroom as possible. IF the community and families are aware and in support of the lessons and activities being presented, the likelihood that supports will financially aid or support the students in their learning is therefore raised. With our current economic times, educators have to be crafty in receiving items and support for the classroom. This can be achieved by send out an introductory letter at the beginning of the year, distributing weekly or monthly newsletters about classroom happenings, and my personal favorite, an interactive classroom website that has community activities as well as a report of classroom events. Websites and newsletters can inform students and families on district/school activities as well as informing parents of large assignments upcoming. If the household is kept up to date on activities, projects and parties, a teacher may see an increased interest and support from those parents. The more involved the parents, the more control the parents may feel that they also have in your classroom.
It would definitely be helpful if parents helped financially and at home with their student's learning, but it would also be awesome if they donated their time in the classroom. I am in a classroom right now that has a community volunteer and she does some great things with certain students. She spends time working certain skills with students who don't catch on right away, but she could also be there to challenge students who are more advanced!
Chapter 14 discusses the topics of teachers understanding student home live, parental involvement and communication, and community volunteers. I was particularly interested in the section regarding working with parents and communication with parents. This is one thing about being a future educator that I have given a lot of thought about. As a parent myself, I know that parents mostly just want to protect their children and ensure that they are getting a quality education. This is why I found the information on communication interesting. With a variety of students comes a variety of parents, and one form of communication will not be a catch all. Some parents will read email, some will read newsletters. So I think it is important that we use a variety of strategies as we would with our students.
I am a huge fan of involving parents and I think there are more ways than ever to do so with all of the technology we have today, but it is a very fine line to walk. It seems like it could be a daunting task to get every parents involved and enthusiastic, especially with the increasing amount of parents who don't speak English. I am already nervous about our student led conferences because I have three students whose parents don't speak English.
One thing I have seen done before that I plan to use is introduction letters. One of the teachers I observed had the students' parents write a letter to introduce their child. In the letter parents informed the teacher of the students strengths, weaknesses, likes, and dislikes and just a little bit of background information. I think that would be an easy way to get a little bit of an idea as to what a parent expects from their child and how involved they might be.
Reading this chapter reminded me of when I was a young mother and how I was not really involved in the school. I had a job that was an hour away and it was hard for me to get too involved. When my oldest son first started school I was not aware of everything involved with the schools and I felt like I was one of those detached parents. When my son was in the 1st grade I decided I could not continue to work an hour away so I got a job driving a school bus in the district where my son attended school. I then started becoming a more involved parent and haven't stopped. I know have 6 children involved in the school district from a senior down to a 2nd grader and I very active wherever I can be. I forget sometimes that parents are not as involved as I am so that will be something I will have remember when I am a teacher myself. I think it is vital to have an open line of communication with the parents and I will encourage the parents to volunteer in the classroom whenever possible. Just from being in the intern classes and being involved with my children schooling for as long as I have I know that teachers can always an extra set of willing, helping hands. I think the idea of having a parent bulletin board is a great one, it helps get information out to the parents when they come into the school and keeps them informed. I also think newsletters are a great idea although I think I would like to try to do an electronic newsletter. Being from a rural area though I do know that not all families have access to a computer so I would have to make sure to get newsletters home to those families.
I can relate so much to what you are saying. When I was young, ambitious, and my children were not school age yet, my job was very important to me. I too worked over a hour away where I was a nurse supervisor in a busy dermatology office in North Dallas. It was when my children where in school that I realized I needed to be more involved with them and their schools. I started subbing in the school where my oldest was in first grade. Then eventually, I became a paraprofessional at their school. Since then, I have always worked or volunteered for the school district that my children are in. I could not imagine not being a part of their schools. I too will have to remember that not all parents are as involved as I am and not to get frustrated. Great blog!
I thought chapter 14 was a very good chapter that every new teacher needs to read, especially if you have never worked in an inner city Title 1 building. My first experience in a Title 1 building was when I moved to St. Joseph four years ago. I began as the Family Involvement Coordinator. Getting to do that job was a real blessing. I learned so much about families from all backgrounds. The best part of my job was when I got to go out and buy clothes or shoes for a child in need. The smile on their face said it all. Since that time, I have stayed in the same building but have changed positions. While working here, I have learned how important parent involvement is and what happens when there is not. In the chapter it discusses the importance of teachers understanding their students' home lives. This could not be more true than in our society today. Kids come to school with more baggage than we can wrap our brains around. It is amazing that some of them can learn at all. As their teacher, if you don't understand their home life and build that relationship with that child then success in your classroom is doomed. I am a firm believer in communicating with parents. How I do that will depend on the school I work in. I know I will send a welcome postcard the summer before they come to my class, then an introductory letter with a packet during open house. I would like to do newsletters once a week. They will always be a paper format sent home, but depending on the school I would like to have a class website too. I also believe that when you call a parent it should not always be on a negative note. Call them when their child has had a wonderful day. You would be amazed at the response you will get from the parent. A very good chapter with lots of good notes to take with you as you become the classroom teacher!
Chapter 14 is about people of the community working together. This is very important regarding anything to do with kids. It’s amazing what people can do for our kids when they work together! Parental involvement is absolutely crucial to success in education (and every other aspect of a child’s life!). The text mentions the importance of teachers understanding their students’ home lives. I absolutely could not agree more! So many times things that are going on at home affect our students’ performance. We absolutely need to know! It is so sad to me the amount of parents that are not involved in their child’s education. My mentor teacher (social studies internship) and I were talking the other day as she was working on some stuff at her desk and she suddenly said, “Oh, 53% of my parents showed up for conferences! That’s pretty good!” and I said, “That’s good?” And she laughed and said, “Oh, I forget you’re young and think that people care!” How sad is that? I feel like that number should be so much higher!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that parental involvement is absolutely crucial to success in education. Students not only benefit academically, but also physically, socially, and emotionally. I know that I made it where I am today because of the involvement by my parents. Knowing everything we can about our own students, including their home life, will change how we teach them. I think the more we know about them, the more we can help them succeed.
DeleteI agree that student involvement is important. It can really make or break a child. If their parents do not care if they do well in school, they may have the same attitude towards school. That is going to make them hard to teach. I hear all the time that about half the parents showed up for conferences. I think it is sad. Growing up I can't remember my mom missing one meeting because she wanted me to succeed. It is important to keep parents involved as much as possible.
DeleteI would have had the same thought you did with 53% being low. I do struggle with thinking people care in just everyday living.
DeleteKristle C--I also wrote about the importance of parents attending Parent Teacher Conference but I had no idea the percents could be so low. I knew they were low, but nowhere near 53% low. That is so sad! I work at school district and there are parents who have never attending one of these conferences, this is also hard to imagine that parents could careless about how their students are doing in school.
Delete-Ch. 14 discusses the collaboration between teachers, caregivers, and the community. The section titled “The Importance of Teachers Understanding Their Students’ Home Lives” goes hand in hand with what all of our professors have said since day one: “GET TO KNOW YOUR STUDENTS.” Knowing your students allows you to teach them at your full potential and for them to learn at their full potential. Communicating with your students’ parents will help you get to know them and keep them involved. This can be done by writing introductory letters and holding a parent-teacher conference at the beginning of the year, sending home newsletters, updating bulletin boards, calling or e-mailing parents, or sending home weekly portfolios with personal notes. Unfortunately, we will come in contact with difficult parents. In spite of this, we need to provide as much extra help as possible in school because they may not receive it at home. For parents who seem highly critical, show them a positive portrait of their children and let them know that you believe they have potential. For those parents who seem to not accept that their child has difficulties, let them know that with extra help from them and in class, the child will succeed. Finally, community volunteers can and should be involved in the classroom as well
ReplyDelete-I do not have any questions at this time.
-I really like the idea of hosting a technology night to get parents involved. I think it is a great way to let the children show their parents what they can do and what they are good at. Having technology classes available for the parents allow the them to become knowledgeable about different programs. As a result, the parents and children can go to the library and work together.
-I feel very lucky to had such great parents who were involved in my schooling. My mom was great at helping with class parties during school and sitting down with me at night to help with homework. My dad volunteered to help with some of the activities put on by the school. Knowing that my parents cared pushed me to do by best for them and made me work hard to get where I am today.
In response to your post....
DeleteParent involvement is such an important factor in students' succeeding in school. Working at a school of the last four years, I have really notice how true this really is. Students that do not have that extra help or parents who have a negative attitude towards school, usually end up having those same beliefs and opinions toward school. They also do not have the drive or motivators to do well in school. This is always really sad to me that parents are not encouraging for their children to succeed and achieve to their highest potential! You are really lucky to have great parents, I wish all children had that in their lives.
I also feel very lucky to have parents that were so involved in my schooling. Both of my parents always went to my conferences and they always made sure I had my homework done. My mom would spend so much time getting me ready for spelling tests and reading to me. I appreciate it so much more now!I also thought the technology night for the parents was a good idea.
DeleteI completely agree with on the importance of getting to know your students! I feel like we can provide our students with a much better chance of success if we know them and know their likes and dislikes, what works for them and what doesn't work for them, and what their home life is like! You are very lucky that your parents were so involved with your schooling (and in your life I presume!). Mine were also! It's unfortunate that not all students get to have that! I guess that's where kind, caring, and respectful teachers get to jump in and let the student know we care too!
ReplyDeleteThe above comment is meant as a reply for Sara D's post!
DeleteSara D - I couldn't agree with you more on the importance of knowing our students. Growing up in a rural town has shown me just how important it is in knowing your students as well as showing your students the same respect you ask of them. I am sure I am not going to agree with everything my students believe in but that does not mean I get to disrespect them.
DeleteChapter 14 talks about the collaboration between teachers, caregivers, and the community. I absolutely loved reading this chapter. I am from a small rural town where everyone knows everyone and we all are there to help each other out in a time of need. I loved how the information from this chapter is exactly what we have been drilled about here at Fort Hays State. Our professors have explained to us the importance of knowing each and every one of our students home life. Not only that our professors push us to know the likes and dislikes of each and every one of our students. We get a small example of that during our internships but we do not really know what the “home life” of our students really is.
ReplyDeleteBy knowing your students you as an educator are able to teach them to the best of their ability to learn. As well all know by now students learn differently and it is our job to seek the best way for each and every child to learn. Then we are required to teach them in that was as well as give them variety to learn different ways.
Words can’t describe what I have learn though out this semester and what I am still learning. I have experienced things that I never thought I would. I am eager to get my hands on some students in my home community. I will be doing my last internship back home and then student teaching in a town about 15 miles away from my home town where I plan of living. Thank you for a wonderful semester Mrs. Stopple. I appreciate all the resources you have shared with me.
I agree that by knowing your students you as an educator are able to teach tehm the best of their ablitity to learn! If you know your students you will understand better when they are haveing a difficult day, nothing is going their way. This is one of the reasons I want to be a teacher, I want to make a differnce and knowing my students will help this.
DeleteI am also from a small rural community, and do not want to change, and understand what you mean by everyone being around for each other. I grew up in the small community, went to college (the 1st time) in a large community, and have moved back to the small community. Everyone is "too busy" and distracted in the large areas, therefore the neighborly actions are minimal compared to small communities. I love the small rural country life!
DeleteChapter 14 is about Teachers, Caregivers, and The Community Working in Collaboration. It starts off by listing three things that are the school’s responsibility to parents are: scheduling regular communication between home and school, supporting parenting skills, and involving parents in major decisions. Then again parents have the responsibility to the teachers: assisting in their child’s learning, volunteering at school, and collaborating with the community to provide resources to the schools. It goes on to list the importance of teachers understanding their students’ home life. Engaged parents believe they can affect their child’s education, they are important in their child’s development, their school wants their help, and they can be successful in helping with their child’s learning. Introductory Letter, introductory parent-teacher conference, newsletters, bulletin boards, parents’ nook, telephone calls or e-mails, happy grams, portfolios with personal notes, daily welcome, and family-teacher conferences are ways the teacher can communicate with parents. Then it gives suggestions for establishing a home-school literacy connection such as reading together, summer reading programs, traveling tales, and word study. Community volunteers section talks about what the volunteers should be taught, and ways to help students with reading. Caregivers involvement and technology: technology night, technology classes for parents, technology in the home is the last section this chapter talks about. I know this is a section on working with difficult parents, but I was wondering if you use what the text suggests and it doesn’t work. How do you reach out and get them somewhat involved? When I was in elementary school parents would bring snacks if it was the students birthday, help with the Halloween parade, but those are the only things I remember parents helping with.
ReplyDeleteCarrie,
DeleteI like your statement about parents having a responsibility to teachers in assisting their child's learning. This is a great point and I wish all parents saw it this way. A teacher can only do so much but everything a teacher does in school can easily be built on at home if the parents are willing. I also wish more parents would volunteer at school. they could help out their child's classroom so much. Even it it just entails copying papers for the teacher. Parents do need to understand that they affect their child's education. I think as future educators we'll have to always remind our students parents of this. I think if you use what the text says and it doesn't work you collaborate with your colleagues. Maybe you have as special conference with the parents and the principal so they know the principal is confident in you as a teacher and your ability to teach their child. You also get ideas from your colleague teachers. Maybe they have a different strategy that may work for you. If nothing else, you work with what you've got. Sometimes parents are unreachable in their opinions and you just have to set your boundaries and focus on helping their child no matter what. Good post!
Your question was "How do you reach out and get them somewhat involved?"
DeleteYou can give them opportunities to get involved. If this does not work you would have to be honest with the parents and talk to them.
Chapter fourteen covered the topic of teachers working in collaboration with caregivers and parents of our students. Having the parents or caregivers of students involved in their educational endeavors has been researched to dramatically effect that students ability to succeed in school. Teachers enabling parents to stay informed on what is expected of their child to learn, and keeping them updated on their challenges and successes is another requirement of teachers in the classroom. This will be another factor in making sure the student in receiving the best education and achieving their full potential. Teachers attain this by sending home letters, having conferences, through email or phone calls, and take home daily agendas or notebooks. This chapter is very informative on how to handle parents that are not involved and parents that are overly involved. These tips are very helpful and I am sure I will implement them when I am a teacher!
ReplyDeleteI want to have a lot of contact with the parents/caregivers of my students throughout the year. I just hope I can keep it up because I am a forgetful person! I have seen a parents involvement or lack there of make a huge different in a students education. I have also seen the influence of a difficult parent does on the student. It's incredible! The more positive and open we can make it, the better!
DeleteI agree that keeping parents informed is extremely important. As a parent I really appreciate it that my daughter's teacher keeps me informed. I have the luxury of seeing her everyday (not everyone is able to do so) when I drop my daughter off in the mornings. She always lets me know if there are any issues or successes. when parent teacher conferences roll around there are no surprises, and I like that.
Delete1. Analysis of reading/issue.
ReplyDeleteChapter 14 discusses parental/caregiver and community involvement in education. This includes ways to keep parents in the loop and having a connection between home and school to help the students. There’s also a discussion about parents who don’t seem to care about education or are difficult. There’s also a section about community volunteers.
2. Questions/contradictions about the reading issues.
I don’t have any questions at this time.
3. How did the reading reflect you or allow you to look at an issue differently.
I like having parents/caregivers and community involved, but there is a point when it can be too much. I get nervous because in small schools rumors can start here and things start to get harder. However, I like having the support and help from everyone!
4. Connecting the reading to you. Examples of your own experience.
I have had parents that didn’t give me a chance. I did everything I could to change that, but there was never anything I could do. I didn’t know what else to do, and I went to the principal and they didn’t give me any help with the situation at all. Reading the difficult parent part was interesting and gave me some good ideas.
Kate,
DeleteI know that rumors do spread quickly in smaller communities, however I agree with you that having support from everyone is important. I know that when I was younger the community from my home town was always involved in the school. I hope to have that support when I get into my classroom.
Chapter 14 mentions the importance of parents ensuring that their children get enough sleep. From what I have seen in the classroom this couldn't be stressed enough. There is a huge difference in students' attitudes, behaviors, and performance on the days they didn't get enough sleep compared to the days they did. The text also suggests that teachers publish a list of "good parenting tips" in a newsletter. I disagree that teachers should tell parents how to parent. Instead I would include articles or statistics that support topics such as amount of sleep and its affect on student performance or lists of homework tips. I would never offer parents tips on parenting unless they asked me for it. As a parent I would be offended if someone took it upon themselves, no matter how well intended they might be, to tell me how to be a parent unsolicited.
ReplyDeleteI really like the Traveling Tales idea of sending home backpacks or suitcases filled with writing materials so the parents can write a story with their student. They go through the writing process together to produce a story, and are invited to share the story in class. I think this is a great idea. I do wonder if the students would bring the materials back as scheduled though so other students could take it home.
I agree, teacher should not tell parents how to parent their children. They should provide them with the information that will help them to make the best decisions. I am not sure all parents will care to read the articles that are sent home but it would be a good idea to create a classroom blog or website that parents and students can go on to obtain this information.
DeleteChapter 14 addresses a situation that I don’t think occurs nearly often enough in today’s schools. It talks about collaboration between teachers and parents/the community. I’m so very lucky to have supportive parents with my tutoring students. I feel lucky because I’ve seen many scenarios where the parents could care less about their child’s education and they see it as the teachers job to be the only one involved in their child’s education. One of the first things the text talks about is how crucial parental involvement is in a child’s education. I know one major factor that plays a role in establishing a working relationship with the student’s parents is knowing their home life situation. Knowing the parents and students in this manor will allow a teacher to understand how to best communicate and work with the parent. When a parent feels like the teacher understands them and is parenting with them in their child’s education it makes them more willing to work with them and be involved. The text listed some great ways of how to communicate with parents, from letters to phone calls to a parent’s nook in the school. The parent’s nook was the only form I communication that I had not heard of in this chapter. A parent’s nook would consist of a corner in the school dedicated to books, magazines, and pamphlets for parents to check out and use. This may help motivate parents to simply come to the school and this alone could open many doors for communication. I think another great communication tool in today’s world would be the Internet. I love the idea of having a class website with a blog just for parents. If a teacher has a parent who never comes to the school but likes to use the Internet at home this could be a great communication tool for them.
ReplyDeleteOne other section of the chapter that caught my attention was the section on difficult parents. Even just through internships I’ve witnessed many difficult parents who were very critical with my mentor teachers. When I asked for my mentor’s advice on how I should handle parents like this in the future she stressed that I let them know what I’m doing and that I am a professional. This was again stressed in this chapter. It’s important that parents know that you, as an educator, know what you’re doing and teachers should not be afraid to let them know this! This part also talked about stopping parents when they come in at an inappropriate time. This is important because again, they need to know that you are a professional and they have to respect that. I think educators have to deal with a lot of awkward and confrontational situations with parents but it is important to remember that they are qualified to do that job. A teacher should never doubt that. That should always be confidant in their abilities, despite what critical parents may say. This chapter has definitely got me thinking of the situations I’m going to more than likely occur as an educator. It’s a bit nerve wracking but I will just have to remember to act like professional in all situations because that’s what I will be, a professional.
This chapter talks about community and parent involvement. I can say the more involved a parent is the more the student will benefit from the instruction. If you are doing things at school and it is transferring to home that student will catch on so much faster. It also helps that child emotionally. They feel more connected to that parent and feel as if they matter. Some children need that sense of belonging to succeed.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter also mentions bulletin boards. I think bulletin boards are awesome. They are important to let parents know what their children are doing and also a way to advertise an event or something. This chapter has a lot of different ways to communicate effectively with a parent. It also has great advice when working with difficult parents.
This chapter did obtain relevant advice. Open communication is very important for positive attitudes of parents and students. I too liked the idea of incorporating information on bulletin boards. I thought the happy gram would be a fun incorporation to build up the students.
DeleteIn order for me to have a classroom full of students that succeed I am going to have to get to know them and their parents very well. Our text states that parental involvement is a huge ingredient in their child’s education. They need to be involved in assisting their child’s learning, volunteering at school and collaborating with the community to provide resources to the schools. One of the biggest problems I’ve faced this semester in my internship and tutoring is having absent students and students who never ever bring back one thing their suppose. I never know if one of my little girls for tutoring is going to be there and her teacher tells me that she’s late every morning by at least an hour. It’s really frustrating knowing that she’s only in the first grade and this is already happening so frequently. At my internship if my students are assigned homework or given anything that’s suppose to come back to school it usually never makes it back. They aren’t given homework very often but it never comes back to school and I can tell how frustrated my mentor teacher gets. The bulleted list in our books about understanding our students home lives is almost scary to read. For instance, the one about some parents overemphasizing the importance of being popular or thin. I would have never thought this was an issue. However, I know the better I know and understand where my students come from the easier it will be for me to teach to my students needs.
ReplyDeleteI really liked reading the section in the book about working with difficult parents. Not all parents are going to want to cooperate so it’s nice to know what to do with parents that don’t value their child’s education, parents that seem highly critical, and parents who don’t want to accept their child has educational difficulties. With all the technology we have now the possibilities of parental involvement and communication are endless. I think it’s important to remember that not all families will have the same opportunities though because they may not have all the technology that other families do. Each year we will get a new set of students and a new set of parents to get to know. This chapter and my experiences so far have taught me it will be difficult but it is necessary for a child’s success.
Chapter 14 is about teachers, caregivers, and the community collaborating. I appreciate that the text states the individual responsibilities the school and parents are responsible for when educating students. As scaffolded with educational psychology, chapter 14 emphasizes understanding the students’ home life in accordance to their school performance. Additionally, chapter 14 states that parental involvement can improve a student’s social interactions, physical wellbeing, performance, emotional wellbeing, and academics. A vital part of keeping communication lines open is by incorporating introductory letters, newsletters, and happy grams are just a few methods to aid in parent involvement. Additionally, chapter 14 gives tips on how to interact with difficult parents.
ReplyDeleteI have no questions about the reading. I did like however that it ties into what I have been learning about in educational psychology. In my opinion, positively working with parents is an essential element to allow the students to experience success in the classroom. This semester during tutoring I emailed the parents of my students reminders of tutoring sessions and gave them my cell phone number as a symbol of open communication lines. On the first day of tutoring, I sent home a letter with an explanation of what to expect from the tutoring sessions. This allows the parents to be active in their child’s education.
I agree that communication with parents is key. As you also mentioned, another important aspect of communication is that it is positive. I think what you did to communicate with the parents of the students you are tutoring is great. It let them know that you were available, what to expect, and that you cared.
DeleteChapter 14 discusses teachers, caregivers, and the community working in collaboration. I knew that the different roles teachers, caregivers, and the community played in a child’s life and education were important before reading this chapter. However, I didn’t know all the reasons why. This chapter does a great job of explaining the importance of each role and how each role intersects with each other. I like the section that discusses the differences in students home lives on page 360. This was a big eye opener to me, because I hadn’t considered all the different things that can affect how a student responds to different situations at school. A child may seem at times difficult, but may just not understand your expectations or their expectations at home may be radically different from what we want to see at school. The next section discusses the importance of parental involvement. I knew this before reading this chapter, but didn’t fully understand all the benefits or how to keep the parents as involved as possible. I like how the text lists several different ways that teachers can communicate with parents. Many of these I had not thought of, but thought were great alternatives to standard emails or phone calls. Lastly, I found the section “Working with Difficult Parents” helpful. This has been somewhat of a fear of mine since I decided to go into education, because I know it is inevitable. I think that with the suggestions of how to approach different types of difficult parents in this text, I will feel more confident in my ability to communicate with them in a positive and productive way. I know this will only get better with practice. Overall, this chapter was full of great information and focused on something very important, helping students succeed!
ReplyDeleteThis chapter I feel is the most important chapter. It discusses collaboration between teacher, caregivers, and parents. I feel that collaboration is the most important key feature to a school working. There has to be collaboration between the classroom teachers and co-working, parents, paraprofessional, and everyone that is involved in the school. I come from a rural community were everyone is informed of what’s going on. I remember when I was little my teachers sent home newsletters that said what we were doing the next week in class, what was coming up in the community, and fun things that we had done or were planning on doing.
ReplyDeleteI feel that having the parents and the community behind you is important but at times it can be a little overwhelming having people down your back at all times. I know that word travels fast in small communities and so I could see some things becoming a problem.
I didn’t inquire any questions during this chapter.
I agree that the communication / collaboration between the parents / caregivers and the teacher is incredibly important to the level of success a student has in school. Without it the students have little or no support at home, and the teachers definitely need this support from the parents as well. For example, students can learn to read at school, but if those skills aren't practiced away from school there will be little or no gain in that student's reading abilities. (This could apply to every subject taught too, not just reading / writing.)
DeleteIt's interesting to hear you talk about the rural community you grew up in. I have always lived in bigger cities and our classroom newsletters never told us what was coming up in the community.
The first thing that stuck out to me in this chapter was in the ‘Introduction’ where the author stated what three things the school is responsible for and the three things that parents are responsible for. Both schools and parents have the child’s best interest at heart, but each is responsible for different aspects. Sadly, I feel that with each new school year parents are less and less involved in their child’s education. One thing I will never understand is that a parent claims to be involved, yet won’t get involved in anyway other than showing up to a holiday party in the classroom. I have witnessed this throughout my observations and internships, and honestly showing up to a party isn’t involvement.
ReplyDeleteI loved all of the different ways a teacher can communicate with parents / guardians about what is going on with their student or in the classroom in general. Of course every teacher has parent-teacher conferences twice a year, but I think there are better ways to get to the parents, on a more frequent basis. Newsletters have always been popular, and with Internet consuming our lives doing a blog or sending out e-mails would be just as effective. With technology though, you need to know the student’s background and home life. You can’t use a blog or weekly e-mail if half of the students’ parents do not have access to the Internet or e-mail.
The ideas to establish school-home literacy connections were great. One thing I remember doing in elementary school was similar to the activity ‘Traveling Tales.’ It was a little lunchbox wit a teddy bear in it. I believe we also had it for 2 days or so, and with that we would write what we did with the bear. Everyone would share what he or she wrote about with the class when they brought the bear back.
Emily -
DeleteYou hit the nail on the head as far as I am concerned with parents becoming less involved. It seems as more technology evolves, parents are placing their children in front of televisions, computers, ipads, ipods, etc. rather than being a hands-on parent and becoming actively involved in your child's educational process.
I also like how you made it a point about internet access, because although a lot of America is being consumed in the internet world, depending upon the type of SES the district you work in has, the statistic may be considerably lower. I think it's important to adapt to the needs of the parents as best as possible. I once read that any type of documentation that is set home for parents to read must be written at 4th grade reading level because that is the national average. I am not sure where that is from, but I am pretty sure it was from a textbook because it has stuck with me since then because it is just a hard fact to swallow.
The most critical piece of information that I believe I took away from this chapter was that parent involvement encompasses both involvement at school and involvement at home. I think that more recently, parents are placing too much pressure on teachers for their child’s academics (this may be a matter of opinion), and so I found it interesting that studies have shown that involvement at home impacts students’ learning more than at school. Although I am not a parent, after working in public schools and being a nanny, it seems that parents need to be more aware of this statistic.
ReplyDeleteThe list that was provided for teachers understanding their students’ lives was incredibly long, and it just shows how empathetic and understanding educators have to be in regards to their students. I know I have put this in a previous post, but again it kind of goes back to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, where if basic needs are not met, children will not be productive. Working in public schools for a few years has provided me with examples of teachers that I do want to be like and those that I don’t. More often than not, teachers became frustrated with students because they lacked empathy and understanding of the student’s home life.
In addition, I found the information on methods of communicating with parents quite helpful. It is often overlooked for teachers to send home good reports of their students and tend to only make contact when there is an issue that needs to be resolved. I already have purchased seasonal books that have included layouts for letters to parents that I think will be a good resource for my own classroom and I am looking forward to using them.
Parents are a huge part of the learning process. It is important that parents want to help their children succeed. I see this a lot that parents want the best for their children, but for some reason don't want to put forth the effort it takes to help them when they are home. When my son comes home from school the first thing he does is homework and then he can play. It is important that he sits down and does it while I am there to help him when he needs it. Parents should have some type of system at home, what ever system works, so that their child succeeds to his/her fullest.
DeleteThe last chapter of this book emphasis the importance of working together. Everyone has an important role when it comes to children in school. Parental involvement is very crucial and the chapter goes into detail about this. Other than the obvious helping your children learn, the text explains two types of ways parents can get involved, school and home involvement. Home involvement is pretty self-explanatory and most parents know what to do, but some chose not to. Honestly did not realize how important it was to be involved with the school until I read this chapter. I really liked how this chapter had a strong focus on how teachers need to UNDERSTAND their student’s home lives. I have met a few teachers that think their students families situations are not anything in particular. I really liked how the chapter bulleted the information. This made it easier to read and understand. Of course, in order to understand their students, there should be open communication. The chapter made great suggestions in how to keep the communication line open. Introductory letters are such a great idea. This immediately gives the good first impression to the parents. The section that I was really interested in reading about is the section over working with difficult parents. The text did a great job explaining on how to deal with parents that do not accept their child’s difficulties, or seem very critical. This is one part about teaching that I am nervous about. I do not have any questions at this time, but if I did it would be over how to handle demanding parents and parents who seem much uninvolved.
ReplyDeleteI am with you 100% on everything you said about the student's home life. It all starts there. As teachers, we appreciate when the parents are involved, and totally and completely committed to their child's education.
DeleteIt all starts in the home, and I believe that with all my heart. Chapter 14 talks about teachers, caregivers, and the community, all collaborating together for a common good. And that common good being the education of the next generation. All 3 aspects, teachers, caregivers, and community, must be in unison and I believe then that child will have the maximum potential for them to succeed.
ReplyDeleteI have seen both cases, in which something was left one in a child's education, and all too often it is the caregivers (parents). During one of my internships, I had a particular boy that was struggling in school. He would show up late, hair frazzled, and looking sleepy. That was such a tall task for the teacher to get this young fellow motivated at that point to start learning. In my opinion, if the caregivers at home would have made sure this young man had gotten a good night's sleep, got up and took a shower, and got to school on time, he might be in a better position to succeed.
Then on the other hand, I have seen where all 3 aspects are in unison. In this case, the outside factors of lack of sleep, shower, or food was not a problem. It was easy to tell that this child's caregivers were committed to the education of their child.
I am in no way stating that Student A was a worse student that Student B. I am just expressing my view between, what I believe, to be two separate views by the caregivers, thus throwing off the balance between them, the teachers, and community personnel.
All 3 are so vital in the education of our young students. They need everyone involved to be 100% committed to them, so they can grow up and be the great generation we know they will be.
Great chapter!
Cody - I think we will all encounter children in our careers that are just like the one from your internship. It's so sad to see those children come to school disheveled, tired, and sometimes hungry too. We just have to be there for those children and do our best to encourage, support, and even provide extra guidance to those who really need it and will most likely not get it from anyone else. I used to keep a stash of snacks in my desk because a few students I saw each morning never had much to eat. While it wasn't in my job description to do that, I felt compelled to do so. If I could do that one little thing that might help their brain shift into gear and get them to focus on school rather than their growling tummy, then that's what I needed to do. I know lots of teachers who do this...and they do it because they care about their students and want to help them succeed. I can tell that you will be one of those teachers!
DeleteCody-
DeleteIt is sad to think that the student you described is going to be fairly common in our future classrooms. This example is why it is so important that we try to build a relationship with parents so we can express our concerns and the parents not feel like they are being attacked.
1. Analysis of the reading/issue: Students need help from their teachers, parents, and community so that they can be the most successful students possible. I truly believe that this is true. Chapter 14 lists some very specific ways each entity can be involved in a student’s education. First, a student’s education starts in the home with the involvement of their parents or caregivers. Second, a student’s teacher continues that education at school and helps the third entity, the community, to become involved and active in the school system. While all of these entities are important in a student’s education, is it possible for a student to succeed without one of them? I believe it is. It DOES make success hard to achieve, but I guarantee that not all students will have every advantage like we would hope. Therefore, as a student’s teacher, that added responsibility sometimes falls on us. If we see a weakness in this aspect of a student’s education, we are sometimes going to need to find a way to involve a parent or recruit a community volunteer. The text gives a number of great ways to learn about our student’s home life, involve their parents, make parents feel welcome, and find a way to promote a positive outlook in regards to the student’s education. If we know that researchers have proven that students are more successful with all three entities working together for the students, why wouldn’t we as teachers do everything possible to make that happen for our students?
ReplyDelete2. Questions and/or contradictions about the reading/issue: I have no questions about the reading. Prior to the reading, I wondered what strategies I might need to use with the variety of parents or caregivers we are sure to encounter. After reading this chapter, I feel much more prepared to initiate the parent-teacher relationship.
3. How did the reading reflect you or allow you to look at an issue differently? I think that sometimes parents and teachers don’t see eye-to-eye for a number of reasons. One of the things I really took away from this chapter was that we (as teachers) need to really listen to what parents are communicating to us. Every family is different, so we need to keep an open mind and be willing to honestly discuss things with each parent or caregiver.
4. Connecting the reading to you. Examples of your own experience: As a reading para, I worked with a student who really needed intensive intervention for reading. He was very frustrated in terms of his skills and reading ability. We gave him and his parents every opportunity to work at home on those things as well as working with him at school. Despite our best efforts to help this child, his homework came back unsigned and not done. I personally became frustrated with the lack of parental support I seemed to be getting from his family. The reading specialist said that all we could do was keep providing those opportunities, continue to communicate with the parents, and continue to work with the student during school hours. During the spring semester, I happened to see this child with his parents at a track meet. They had taken him out of school (yet again) to watch his sister’s track meet. The picture that had been painted for me of this situation by other staff members, however, was way off the mark. These parents were very nice and happy to see their son had bonded so well with me. I could see how much they loved and adored their son. I expressed my sincere feelings for the child, as he is a wonderful and loving kid. Throughout the day, I chatted with them about his progress and their concerns. I learned that he had gone through several heart operations as a toddler. Everyone feared that his brain suffered in some way due to the lack of oxygen it received during these situations, although there was no real evidence to prove this. They also told me that he was still not in the clear about how long he might live. Estimations given to the family ranged from one year to 10 years, although nobody knows for certain. This family explained that because of their son’s health forecast, they were choosing to enrich his life in any way they could. They wanted him to experience everything that they could possibly offer him. After looking at the situation from their perspective, I could see why they chose to do all the activities they were doing rather than have him sit at home doing homework. This family really opened my eyes to how important it is to get to know each family and communicate with them!
ReplyDelete1. Analysis of the reading/issue.
ReplyDeleteChapter 14 described many ways to get parents involved in their student’s education. The chapter also listed several situations in a child’s life that teachers should make themselves aware of .There were five reason that parents become engaged in their child’s education. 1. They can affect their child’s education; I think that if parents feel like they can be a have a positive effect on their child’s education then they will become engaged. One thing that was mentioned for new teachers is to write an introductory letter to parents and students before the school year starts. I think this is a great way to show that you are excited for the upcoming year. Another recommendation is to write good news letters to parents. Parents love hearing about the good things and the success of their child. One suggestion is to create a happy gram. You can make your own design and then put it on brightly colored paper. The chapter also had a huge list of important tips for teachers during conferences. Some of these tips are very good. I will have to refer to them when I begin my first conferences. Getting parents involved in their child’s learning is very important and this chapter has some great ideas for getting that done. One idea that was mentioned was Traveling Tales. I personally love this idea. I have never heard of this before but I would like to use it when I get a classroom.
2. Questions and/or contradictions about the reading/issue.
No questions
3. How did the reading reflect you or allow you to look at an issue differently?
One thing that I look at a little differently is the engagement of parents. The text discusses how important it is to have parents get involved. It also mentions how teachers need to realize that parents are tired or busy with work when they assign things for the students to do with their parents. I liked the idea that the teacher provides them options, not just straight forward directions.
4. Connecting the reading to you. Examples of your own experience.
One thing that I really connected with was the happy grams. I don’t know that my teacher called them that but I remember in lower elementary receiving something similar. In fact my mother made a book of all the good reports that were sent home and I know that she kept the little pieces of paper that said I did a great job that day. It is the little things that add up to the big things.
Chapter 14 is over the collaboration between teachers, caregivers, and the community. This chapter talks about how important parental involvement is and the importance of teachers understanding their student's home lives. I believe these are two very important situations to understand if you want to become a teacher. You are always going to have parents that are not involved what so ever and have student's whom have very rough home lives. I work at a school district and we see this on a daily basis. It is so sad to me that some students have parents whom never attend parental teacher conference or who never take their children to spring and Christmas programs. Parents need to know how important their involvement can mean to their students. I am sure these parents think that their child does not care whether they are their or not, but sadly enough, I am sure it effects all students no matter if they admit it or not. This chapter allowed me to take a step back and see the type of teacher I want to become. I want to to be the type of teacher students can come to if they are having problems at home and I want to be able to recognize different situations that are going on at home that they do not want anyone to know about. I want to be a very alert teacher when it comes to my students!
ReplyDeleteKristi,
DeleteIt is sad when parents could care less. although many parents are involved, there are those few students who get the short end of the stick all the time. what can we do as teacher? Show them that we care, their education is important to us, we want to see them succeed. Give them a reason to work hard. Our student's have so many dynamics going on in their lives and parents have so many personal situations tugging at them (food needs, shelter, bills, the job or lack of) that sometimes school and their child's education has to takes a back seat. This is a sad fact.
Kristi,
DeleteI agree and think it is so sad that many parents do not take an interest in their children's education. It is part of our job as educators to try to help the parents see how important their child's education is and what a major role they play in their education.
Chapter 14 by far my favorite read and probably because it is a subject I feel very passionate about. With everything that I learn on teaching strategies and behavior management, and with all that I pour into my students, parental or caregiver involvement plays a key role in my student’s success. They have to buy into the program. If not, their attitude towards my student’s education could sabotage all of my hard work. I know because at one time I was on the other end of the spectrum and always questioned why the teacher was all up in my home business. I didn’t understand the important role home life played in the school day like breakfast, going to bed early and getting enough rest, stress at home, discipline or the lack of, doing homework. I just wanted the teacher to do their job and I would do my job of raising my child. I didn’t understand that my job affected her ability to do her job. I totally agree that when a parent values school and monitors homework, the student has a more positive attitude towards learning. I now understand how important it is to communicate with parents and let them know the value of their involvement. If we educate them on the important role they play in their child’s education, maybe they won’t think that we are just being nosey or snooping into their personal lives but our many questions will make sense to them. I think that I would like to send out a newsletter the first week of school that documents many of the things that the book points out about parent involvement. Then parents of my students will be well informed on what things they should be doing. We can’t just assume they know these things because a lot of these things I only learned since going back to school to become an educator. I understand that not all parents will be involved but for those who want to get involved, this information will be invaluable. Pg 366 list 12 traits teachers desire parents to have. Perfect for a newsletter home to parents but I believe that to get parents to buy in, you also have to explain the benefits of these traits. I would also list traits parents desire teachers to have so that my parents know that it is give and take, I am willing to work hard also.
ReplyDeleteI also think this chapter was one of my favorites. This is a topic that is not discussed a lot in our courses, but will be a major part of our careers. I think too often we focus so heavily on the students that we forget that our job en tells a lot more, and communication with parents is one of them. I like how you read this chapter in a parental perspective and and educator perspective. You are right a lot of parents don't realize how much impact the students home life as on their school life. I have had teachers tell me that they had to educator parents on the importance of making sure their child did their homework, ate breakfast, went to bed on time, and many of the other task that we think of as common sense. Many parents don't see that connection and as an educator it is not only your job to educator your students on the importance of these task but to also educator parents on the importance of helping and making sure their students do these task. I like your idea of sending home a newsletter showing how important parental involvement is for students, I think it will educator your parents and let them know that you are willing to work hard for their student. My one suggestion is make sure that your newsletter comes off as light hearted and caring, you don't want parents to think that you are already pointing fingers at them or asking them to do even more than they already do. If parents feel this way than it may make them not want to help and or take an active role in there students education, they may say the same thing you did, "you do your job and all do mine."
DeleteChapter 14 discusses the relationship of teachers, caregivers, and the community working in collaboration with students and education. This chapter entails the importance of educators understanding their students individually and where they come from; the communities involvement; parents involvement; and educators working and communicating with parents. I grew up in a small rural community and currently live in the same environment, and the parents and community relationship with the school is huge, meaningful, and important. There are several actions from the community and parents towards the school that would not be able to occur if there was not the assistance from the community. The school and students would just not be able to fund or do for themselves. I wish to be a part of this action as an educator and a parent in the near future.
ReplyDeleteI found the scenario with Mr. Blackhawk at the beginning of the chapter very interesting! The description of the parents and different characteristics involved in students education was an eye opener. It was something that I don't really think about currently daily, but having read it and thought about it, it really is amazing and somewhat disturbing. Fortunately, I had parents that were greatly involved and cared. However this is real and is an important factor to consider when assisting students. I wish to do my best in the future to be a part of my students' lives and children, to help them to do their best in succeeding.
I have no questions.
Best wishes for all!
Sheena, what a cute picture. The interaction you have experienced with your previous education sounds positive and meaningful. No matter where we teach we are going to encounter a wide range of personalities and thus need to learn how to communicate with all individuals. I feel the chapters in this book have better prepared me for the future career we have chosen in teaching.
DeleteGood Luck!
Chapter 14 is over parental involvement and community support. We all love working with students and are signed up for the many challenges that we face in the process of teaching a classroom. But for me the scariest and most challenging part of being a teacher is dealing with parents. I know that it occurs on a daily bases but many times we focus so much on the students that we forget that a large part of our job will be communicating with parents. I like that the chapter points out that there are usually about 5 different types of parent that you will encounter; those that take on active role in their students education, those that don’t care, those that can’t help their students, those that refuse to believe their student needs help, and those that believe the teacher is to blame for everything. I could imagine how scary it would be to send your child to school to spend 6-7 hours a day with a stranger, so as an educator it’s important to know what parents expect from us, and the students home life o that we can ease that stress and know how to teach each student. Parents expect teachers to know, care and communicate about teaching their child. To me this doesn’t seem like they are expecting too much from the person that is going to leave a permanent impression on my student. Studies have shown that parental involvement is improves students academic, physical well being, social skills and emotional well being. These are all great reason to have parental involvement, but parents will only be involved if they believe they will affect their child’s education, development and learning and that the school makes them feel welcome and want their help. The next section has some great (modern) ways to communicate with parents. I will defiantly use some or most of these strategies in my career. The next section list 12 characteristics that we wish all parents did. These are great and I can only hope that I get a classroom full of students from these parents, but I think it important to remember that you won’t always and you will have to work around that in order to teach that student. The last very important section was over working with difficult parents. Many of these are common sense, but they are very important advice that I will defiantly use when I am teaching. Overall I think this chapter was very beneficial, it’s a topic not often discussed but can be very challenging.
ReplyDeleteI also liked how the book broke parents up into different groups but I think they left one group out. Parents who have a first time student in school are also their own group. I remember when I was a mom with a new school age child I didn't even know that I had to bring his birth certificate with me to enroll him into school. These parents just want someone to help guide them through some of the things that are expected of them so I think communication especially in the kindergarten and first grade classrooms are important. Parents need to be given information on what is expected of them for their children to be successful. I think that the school, teachers, and administrators making the parents feel welcome is a huge part of it as well. I know I have been involved in schools that did not make me feel welcome to be there and that was hard to know how I should be involved.
Delete"Act as if it were impossible to fail." Dorothea Broude
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful quote to begin this chapter. Just thinking you can it half the battle. One of the first highlighted areas of this chapter is information that I think many current teachers need to go back and read. The importance of teachers understanding the home lives of their students is knowledge that should be a high priority. Such as knowing that many improverished families move frequently due to circumstances beyond their control. These students may attend two or three school in one school year. I think that just knowing we have a short time with each of our students is information that should be taken to heart. Make the most of our days as teachers and try to make a difference to each student each day.
As far as engaged parents goes, this is a blessing that not all teachers have the benefit of encountering. I believe that parents can be our best advocates. Communication is the key between parents and teachers. I just love the "happy gram" in figure 14.4. Simple notes like this one can keep the student motivated to work hard for encouraging notes to go home to mom or dad.
Working with difficult parents can be challenging. When parents do not value education or are critical then as teachers we should roll out the welcome mat and offer to explain how the classroom works to the parents.
Working with parents is one of the things that I am apprehensive about when I think about teaching. At times I do not feel prepared to deal with critical or overbearing parents. But I do realize this comes with the territority of teaching and will open my arms and welcome any and all parents of my students. I want to bridge the gap between parents and teachers to make the communication seamless so that the student encounters a win-win situation both at home and at school.
I think in general, my concern with parent involvement is that I am seeing less and less of it (and I'm just talking the time in the last four years since I've started observations and internships)! It's becoming the norm that both parents work. With that I think the teacher needs to be willing to reach out and make sure that there is communication and that he or she is supporting a positive experience for family involvement in each students' life.
DeleteIn chapter 14 the text discusses how important it is to have parents, caregivers, teachers, and the community to be able to collaborate. The book states how important it is for teachers to understand the background of each of their students. This comes into a major effect with different cultures. I know I was in one internship where one student did not respect his teacher, because in his culture women were not viewed as an authority. As a teacher we need to be aware of the students' background and an idea of what type of home life each student experiences. This will help us when understanding each of our students and what type of help they are receiving at home if any.
ReplyDeleteAlso when it comes to parents it is very important to get parents/guardians involved with the students' education. A parent's involvement can and will greatly influence their child's education. Also communication between a teacher and a parent if very vital. It is important that we try very hard to build a relationship between the parent and ourselves. We first need to introduce ourselves so that the parents know who we are and are comfortable speaking and meeting with us. This gives us an ally with the student's education.
I think the relationship between the parent and teacher is so important. Parents are people too and they like to feel important. If we remind them how important they are to their child's success and our job as teachers they will want to be involved.
DeleteChapter 14 Teachers, Caregivers, and the Community Working in Collaboration.
ReplyDeleteThis really pulls at my strings. I see so many problems when parents are not on the same page as the teacher. It comes back to knowing your students, knowing their lifestyles. When parents, caregivers, teachers, and others are on the same page then it leaves no excuses for the student. Students do better when parents are involved, their emotional as well as physical state. Parents who are more involved know what is expected of students. They can help them do homework. Weekly news letters let parents know what is going on. Inviting them in often to see what the children are doing. Calls, emails, or short notes home especially for good reports not just bad reports. Bulletin boards or things the children have done put up for parents to see what they are doing. Portfolios and journals help parents keep up with everything going on. Students doing conferences lets the children show parents how they are doing. Conferences allow parents a time to ask question without taking the teachers eyes off the students. Volunteers can help boost children’s self esteem; Rif Readers, a person to have lunch with. I don’t have any question but I know it is so important to get everyone involved if we want to be successful.
I really like sending home newsletters and establishing a website/blog to keep all students, parents and community leaders involved and informed. Additionally, the website/blog can allow an educator to remind families of upcoming school and classroom activities as well as preparing them for larger projects that families may need to assist their students with. The more informed, the more support can be built.
DeleteThis chapter discussed the importance of classroom collaboration between families, community members and the classroom. Not all students will be living with their biologic parents so it is essential for all students to feel as if their classroom is an extension of home. I am a firm believer in having the parents and community as involved in my classroom as possible. IF the community and families are aware and in support of the lessons and activities being presented, the likelihood that supports will financially aid or support the students in their learning is therefore raised. With our current economic times, educators have to be crafty in receiving items and support for the classroom. This can be achieved by send out an introductory letter at the beginning of the year, distributing weekly or monthly newsletters about classroom happenings, and my personal favorite, an interactive classroom website that has community activities as well as a report of classroom events. Websites and newsletters can inform students and families on district/school activities as well as informing parents of large assignments upcoming. If the household is kept up to date on activities, projects and parties, a teacher may see an increased interest and support from those parents. The more involved the parents, the more control the parents may feel that they also have in your classroom.
ReplyDeleteMegin,
DeleteIt would definitely be helpful if parents helped financially and at home with their student's learning, but it would also be awesome if they donated their time in the classroom. I am in a classroom right now that has a community volunteer and she does some great things with certain students. She spends time working certain skills with students who don't catch on right away, but she could also be there to challenge students who are more advanced!
Chapter 14 discusses the topics of teachers understanding student home live, parental involvement and communication, and community volunteers. I was particularly interested in the section regarding working with parents and communication with parents. This is one thing about being a future educator that I have given a lot of thought about. As a parent myself, I know that parents mostly just want to protect their children and ensure that they are getting a quality education. This is why I found the information on communication interesting. With a variety of students comes a variety of parents, and one form of communication will not be a catch all. Some parents will read email, some will read newsletters. So I think it is important that we use a variety of strategies as we would with our students.
ReplyDeleteI am a huge fan of involving parents and I think there are more ways than ever to do so with all of the technology we have today, but it is a very fine line to walk. It seems like it could be a daunting task to get every parents involved and enthusiastic, especially with the increasing amount of parents who don't speak English. I am already nervous about our student led conferences because I have three students whose parents don't speak English.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I have seen done before that I plan to use is introduction letters. One of the teachers I observed had the students' parents write a letter to introduce their child. In the letter parents informed the teacher of the students strengths, weaknesses, likes, and dislikes and just a little bit of background information. I think that would be an easy way to get a little bit of an idea as to what a parent expects from their child and how involved they might be.
Reading this chapter reminded me of when I was a young mother and how I was not really involved in the school. I had a job that was an hour away and it was hard for me to get too involved. When my oldest son first started school I was not aware of everything involved with the schools and I felt like I was one of those detached parents. When my son was in the 1st grade I decided I could not continue to work an hour away so I got a job driving a school bus in the district where my son attended school. I then started becoming a more involved parent and haven't stopped. I know have 6 children involved in the school district from a senior down to a 2nd grader and I very active wherever I can be. I forget sometimes that parents are not as involved as I am so that will be something I will have remember when I am a teacher myself. I think it is vital to have an open line of communication with the parents and I will encourage the parents to volunteer in the classroom whenever possible. Just from being in the intern classes and being involved with my children schooling for as long as I have I know that teachers can always an extra set of willing, helping hands. I think the idea of having a parent bulletin board is a great one, it helps get information out to the parents when they come into the school and keeps them informed. I also think newsletters are a great idea although I think I would like to try to do an electronic newsletter. Being from a rural area though I do know that not all families have access to a computer so I would have to make sure to get newsletters home to those families.
ReplyDeleteJen,
DeleteI can relate so much to what you are saying. When I was young, ambitious, and my children were not school age yet, my job was very important to me. I too worked over a hour away where I was a nurse supervisor in a busy dermatology office in North Dallas. It was when my children where in school that I realized I needed to be more involved with them and their schools. I started subbing in the school where my oldest was in first grade. Then eventually, I became a paraprofessional at their school. Since then, I have always worked or volunteered for the school district that my children are in. I could not imagine not being a part of their schools. I too will have to remember that not all parents are as involved as I am and not to get frustrated. Great blog!
I thought chapter 14 was a very good chapter that every new teacher needs to read, especially if you have never worked in an inner city Title 1 building. My first experience in a Title 1 building was when I moved to St. Joseph four years ago. I began as the Family Involvement Coordinator. Getting to do that job was a real blessing. I learned so much about families from all backgrounds. The best part of my job was when I got to go out and buy clothes or shoes for a child in need. The smile on their face said it all. Since that time, I have stayed in the same building but have changed positions. While working here, I have learned how important parent involvement is and what happens when there is not. In the chapter it discusses the importance of teachers understanding their students' home lives. This could not be more true than in our society today. Kids come to school with more baggage than we can wrap our brains around. It is amazing that some of them can learn at all. As their teacher, if you don't understand their home life and build that relationship with that child then success in your classroom is doomed. I am a firm believer in communicating with parents. How I do that will depend on the school I work in. I know I will send a welcome postcard the summer before they come to my class, then an introductory letter with a packet during open house. I would like to do newsletters once a week. They will always be a paper format sent home, but depending on the school I would like to have a class website too. I also believe that when you call a parent it should not always be on a negative note. Call them when their child has had a wonderful day. You would be amazed at the response you will get from the parent. A very good chapter with lots of good notes to take with you as you become the classroom teacher!
ReplyDelete