The teacher I interviewed has taught for more than ten years at the same school. She started as a fourth grade teacher but she now works as an interventionist.
1. What is the school climate when it comes to parent and teacher interaction/involvement?
“We are open to all parents coming to the school but due to safety reasons there is a high level of security that can deter parents from being more involved. We view parents as a valuable part of a child’s early learning however in our title environment we often see a lack of involvement that hinders their child’s early learning.”
2. What do you do personally to engage parents and create a partnership?
“We have open houses to familiarize the parents with the classroom and teaching styles. During that
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How often do you communicate with parents? Concerning what?
“We send a weekly newsletter that includes areas of study and class/school activities and try to send home helpful hints to assist parents who want to take part in their child’s schooling.”
4. What types of diversity do you experience in schools?
“We have a high diversity of ethnicities within our school which is seen by the fact that we have more than 30 languages spoken within our ESL department. We are also a Title school so we have many transient students, Atlas students, and economically disadvantaged students many of which need extra services such as RTI interventions, weekend backpack meals, and ESL services.”
5. How are differences addressed? How do you deal with these?
“The Atlas students are provided ways to get to school, free and reduced lunches, school supplies are provided to any student who needs it, a morning computer lab for help with reading comprehension, and the ESL department has doubled in the last two years to meet the student’s needs. We also have two guidance counselors so that we can meet the student’s needs academically, emotionally, and physically.
6. What’s the hardest situation you have had to deal with concerning a
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
Starting with Infants, background information is essential in order to make the transition from home to school as smooth as possible. The program staff and families work together to develop a meal plan for the infant before the child starts our program. On the same note, upon arrival parents communicate on a Daily Communication Log, where they write the child’s last feeding and any special messages they want to inform the teacher. In
Communication between teachers and the parents of students is essential for the growth and success of the student both inside and outside of the classroom. This communication is best achieved through parent conference opportunities. One way that this is achieved is through regular open house nights. This is where parents, and other members of the community, are invited to come to the school and talk to the teachers and other faculty at the school. Another conference opportunity presents itself in a scheduled appointment between the teacher and the parent. This will enable the parent to meet face-to-face with their child’s teacher during a time that is more convenient to them, as these appointments can occur before, during, and after school. Additionally, conferences can take place over the phone. This is a convenient way for both parties to communicate effectively in a way that works best for them.
The program is able to provide support for these student Monday through Friday, barring holidays and school breaks, at no cost to them. If the program did not exist, these students would be unable to receive the same academic support nor a safe environment to play with their peers. Additionally, the students’ parents often come topic up their child after their work day in their uniforms. If the program did not exist, the parents would have to find alternative means of care for their children after school, whether it be they return home on their own from the bus or finding a baby sitter at a costly burden. I connected with these children in this aspect as I was not privy to resources such as these. I neglected my school work that I was unable to finish by the simple inability to ask for help from my family members as they themselves did not know how to assist me with my schoolwork. The program offers a great alternative that would exist if the program was absent in the community. The longevity of the program speaks to the sustainable community relationship that the university students were able to build with the community partners at Lay Park, and the value of the program by the continued support of the Lay Park staff.
“Our main goal is to create a space that brings together all kinds of students to help them raise awareness and celebrate differences in our inclusive school climate.”
Families and Children: according to the website open communication with staff and directors is encouraged, and a variety of activities are planned especially to involve parents in special events in their child's school activities. There are many activities that involve parents, such as the Halloween Carnival where parents and children are invited to come in costumes. The support sources are the parents that pay a tuition fee. Parents also participate in afterschool activities and summer camp.
During the placement I was able to spend time observing interactions between parents, children and staff. I witnessed many positive aspects in the schools approach to engaging parents and was particularly impressed by their open door policy for parents and the support provided to families in times of need by the learning mentors. As part of the admission process to the school, staff visit the parents and child at home and discuss the implementation of the home-school agreement (appendix 1.b). This agreement sets out the expectations of each of the parent, school and child in regard to their actions and attitude towards their time in school. This is often one of the first interactions teacher and parents have and Grayson (2011) suggests most teachers report these home visits to have a lasting positive effect on the child and parent-teacher relationship. During the school’s inspection in 2014 Ofsted identified relationships across the school and with parents as a key strength.
As early educators and advocates for young children, we need to be available to families in our area and play integral roles that can make a difference in their lives. Some ways that I could do that in a student’s life would be to assure that the family’s basic needs are met by striving to make a deeper connection, provide outside
Our mission is to ensure that less fortunate children from kindergarten through twelfth grade have the educational necessities to succeed in their future endeavors. With the right tools, we can ensure positive learning which will in return promote classroom success. For the upcoming school year, 2017-2018, our desire is to provide
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All too often I hear teachers cite a lack of parent involvement as the primary reason for a child’s poor academic performance. Many of the teachers on my campus complain that parents do not attend school functions, fail to show for parent conferences, and rarely check their child’s daily communication folder. However, I do feel these comments come from a good place. Our teachers criticize the lack of parent involvement because they understand the vital role school-community relations’ play in student development and learning.
I believe education is one of the most important tools a person can have in life. Every child deserves to receive the best education possible. It has always been my passion to help each child discover their individual God given gifts and talents and to reach their full potential.
One of the many roles of parents in life is to advocate in their child’s learning. Parents know their child’s strengths and challenges, and they can help identify and push for the resources that their child may need to succeed.