I am quite fortunate to work at a site that I was able to be part of creating our school’s vision. Lorena Falasco Elementary School’s mission statement is: “In partnership with our community, Lorena Falasco Elementary School is committed to creating a safe and positive environment with high expectations that encourage success and lifelong learning for everyone.” With that in mind, parent education and involvement are crucial for a school to be successful in doing so. At this time I am co-leading a parent education class that is being held at Lorena Falasco Elementary School we have completed seven of the eight workshops. The parenting workshop combines parenting and leadership skills that will empower parents to become vital contributors to their children’s academic success. There are eight workshops that we will present, which will create parent leaders and also provide positive …show more content…
Lorena Falasco Elementary implemented a Running Club this year. Our club meets two days a week after school. We have two coaches (teachers) and parent helpers per team, which are separated by grade levels. To include community members, we invited students from our local high schools that are on the cross country team, and individuals who have participated in 5k’s and half marathons to participate in our practices, we call them our “Celebrity Runners”. The excitement from our student’s faces was priceless. It was a fantastic opportunity to get our community members involved with our school, and to interact with our student’s in a positive way. What I learned by participating in this club is that something as simple as a running club for elementary students could make such a positive and a wonderful learning experience for everyone involved (parents, teachers, students, community members). By doing so, we created a welcoming atmosphere for Lorena Falasco Elementary
Parental involvement is essential for the school’s effectiveness. We see ourselves as partners of the family, reinforcing parents' efforts to guide the intellectual, emotional and spiritual development of their children. We offer seminars and classes for personal enrichment of parents as they strive to become even more the kind of person they want their children to
Probably one of the most important issues when it comes to Family/Community Partnership is trying to get the families/community involved in what we are doing. By engaging parents, it will help us to see what we are lacking and what we need to do in order to have our families fully engaged. I feel that if our families/communities are not engaged in our program then we need to reevaluate in order to encourage their participation. By reevaluating our program we can further access what we need to work on. If parents/communities feel that they are not valued as part of our team, they won’t engage in our program. Both the parents and the community play a big role in the education of our children. Parents are their first teachers and the communities have valuable resources for the children.
Recently, I read an article by Jen Orr called “Raising Our Teacher Voices: A Call for A New Generation of Leadership”. Ms. Orr is a teacher in nearby Fairfax County who was chosen as a 2013 ASCD Emerging Leader. Consequently, she was asked to serve as a panelist at ASCD’s 2014 Whole Child Symposium.
Parent involvement is key to a child’s academic success; this can be accomplished through the parent’s participation in an advisory council. A parent-teacher organization meets regularly to discuss the workings of the school and the parents that take part in the meeting are rewarded with a voice to make suggestions and give active feedback to the school. This enables parents and teachers to discuss matters dealing with the education of their child. Another council that advocates the voice of parents is the Mississippi Read
Paul Richman, California State PTA Executive Director opened the conversation by saying “districts need to focus on three T’s: Trust, Transparency, and Tenacity”. He emphasized the importance of parent involvement by stating “parent engagement is not a check-off item, it is a long term investment of time, resources, dedication, and capacity”.
First of all, most are aware that there is a very large absence of sports that Kihei Charter School offers to its students. Although there is a lack of a variety of sports to be involved in, cross country is one of the many quality teams we have at our school. Among the many perks of this sport, becoming a more socially active with other athletes is a very important one. There are a few hundred students at Kihei Charter School who barely even know their peers. Since the cross country team is open to all grades at any skill level, there is a wide variety of people who run with
Competing in high school athletics was the highlight of my time at Sterling High School, If I could I’d go back and do it all over agin. It allowed me to learn basic life skills, such as time management, self-accountability, leadership, and teamwork. But the most important thing it brought me was a strong support system built up of teammates, coaches, competitors, and officials. My sophomore English teacher once joked that “the girl’s swim team is like a cult” which is pretty close to the truth. From early August to late November twenty girls, a diver or two, and a pair of coaches were inseparable. Together we suffered together through every practice and worked to improve not only ourselves but each other. It was these long hours that shaped
For 2 years I was a member of the Central Toronto Athletic Club. CTAC is a competitive middle distance running club that trains its athletes to compete in track and field and cross country events. It is a year round athletic club that is a platform for talented people of almost all ages to train and to focus on their self-progress as an athlete. At CTAC I was encouraged to push myself to test the limits of my speed, endurance and strength and to discover what my body is truly capable of. Running was a very satisfying sport because my achievements were directly proportional to the amount of work that I put in. At CTAC, I learned discipline, dedication and perseverance. I had to balance my schoolwork with daily practices or workouts, I ran six
In the beginning of the interview I had believed that the Hernandez family was a middle-class family who had no great monetary issues, I also believed that the family needed more persuasion to be involved in school programs since in the past Janeth Hernandez the mother to the child Jenny Hernandez shared she had never participated in her child’s school as a volunteer, and I also believed that one involvement plan fit all families. However, after completing the interview on the Hernandez family my beliefs on this specific family where greatly influenced I realized that not all families will fit the same involvement plan because every family has different day to day activities, so it is important as a teacher to communicate with not only the children but the parents too. I also learned to be understanding that although a family might look like a family ignoring their child’s academic development what really might be happening is that they can’t afford or are having difficulties completing school requirement with no help. Finally, I learned through the interview that it is important as a future teacher that
By informing parents of the ways in which they may be able to assist (Fellowes, 2010), paired with flexible commitment offers, teachers are setting a comfortable and casual scene for parents to become involved in their child’s learning.
In sixth grade I quit the school band in the middle of my third year to join Running Club. The goal of Running Club was to run a 5k after weeks of practice and I accepted the challenge. Throughout the duration of training, I would find the long runs consistently demanding and a test to my motivation to persevere in the club. One of the coaches, Miss. Ames, was my teacher from the previous year and she ran with me during practice. She constantly encouraged me to push myself a little more every run and to keep practicing. I was frustrated with my performance, but Miss. Ames continued to encourage me. Nevertheless, preparing for that 5k was an eye-opening and an overall amazing experience.
An aspect of my teaching that I am interested in making more effective is my ability to engage and involve parents in their children’s learning and development.
In all my life, I’ve never had a commitment that required so much of me as track and field, both physically and mentally. Towards the end of my high school career, track and field for me meant having to push through a difficult physical condition known as tarsal coalition, a condition that causes inflammation in my feet. With help from my coaches, I had to learn to endure past physical limitation and strengthen my faith in my abilities. By doing so, I became more confident in myself and I was able to help lead other team members to do the same. Not only did track and field teach me to lead, but it also taught me how to be a part of a team. I learned the value of teamwork through building relay race teams. In all relay races, I was either the
Three new ideas from the book that I am interesting are in chapter 2. My job is working with families and building a positive relationship with the whole family. Connecting with the families is very important. Curtis and Carter suggest that “Providers and teachers with relationship at the center of their thinking create an embracing social emotional climate where people are seen, heard, and acknowledged for whom they are”, (Curtis & Carter, 2008, p. 24). Instead of busy with paperwork, staffs should welcome families and connect with the families at their first encounter. This is an opportunity for parents get to meet staffs and learn about the program. Parents want to know if they will be welcome and if staffs will value their difference.
Although it is important for families to be involved with their child’s school, school personnel should also strive to create a positive interaction with families of students. Carl Dunst (2002) states that school and parent collaboration is necessary, and if schools take on a more family-centered approach, it will help create a supportive environment and help to strengthen a family’s capacity to enhance and promote a child’s development and learning.