Communication with families
Communication with families is crucial. In my classroom, contact will be made with families before the school year even begins and continue after the academic school year has finished. If it were my child I would want to be as involved in his/her schooling as possible, which is why I think it is crucial that parents have the opportunity to be involved in their child's learning. Afterall, their child is going to be spending just as much time with me as they will at home, so it is important that a strong, trusting bond is created so that both parties can benefit. All inspiration for family collaborations is from Davis and Yang's Parents & Teachers Working Together.
BEFORE THE SCHOOL YEAR:
- Letter/Post-Card Home: This letter will tell families a little bit about me, a brief description of what they can expect in the upcoming year, and basically, an introduction. In this letter/post-card will be important upcoming dates such as our Back To School Night, the first day of school, and a list of supplies the students will need so the families can get a head start!
- Interest Inventories (of the student and family): Family interest surveys are a great way to find out some basic information about a student's family life (whom he/she lives with, what language(s) are spoken in the home, any holidays celebrated or not celebrated, any religious or cultural conflicts that may exist, etc.). Ideally, the student would fill one out and the family would fill one out and either mail them in or have the student bring them in on the first day. That way, the teacher isn't left to figure everything out on the first day, he/she will at least have a starting point. Interest inventories are also a great way to determine student's learning styles (what they like/dislike), what they are exposed to at home, any previous experiences they bring to the table, and what students want you to know about them.
During the school year:
It is crucial that open communication is kept between parents and the classroom teacher throughout the entire year. To keep in contact, the teacher could post daily on the blog of the classroom website, send home newsletters of what's going to be happening in the classroom each week, send home homework helper packets and/or hold workshops for parents to come in (if possible) and learn how to help their children with their homework, send home Friday Folders or Homework Folders each night that must be signed by a parent, writing notes for students to show their parents (both positive and negative), emailing, and last but not least, calling home for both positive and negative things! Be sure to use the sandwich method (Bulludi, 2008). It could also be beneficial to utilize apps such as Class Dojo and other behavioral apps, or reminder apps that can send updates and notifications directly to parent's phones and/or email regarding what's due the next day, or a student's behavior for the day.
How to get parents involved in their child's learning:
- Hold frequent parent-teacher conferences, and/or set up times to meet with parents as frequently as possible.
- Ask for volunteers to be helpers in the classroom (fieldtrips, distributing snacks, bus monitors, etc.)
- Have days for parents to come in and spend the day with their child!
- If a parent works or has other commitments keeping him/her from coming in, find ways to include them: maybe send home videos of what happened in class, or call them to keep them updated.
- Even if a parent can't be as involved as they would like to be, thank them for anything that they can do and go out of your way to keep them involved in their child's learning!
IN the classroom:
- A large house will be constructed on one of the main walls in the classroom. In the house will be pictures of each student with their family. Students will be asked to bring these pictures in on the first day of school (if possible). On the first day, one student will share about his/her family with the rest of the class, explaining the pictures and taking questions from the audience. Each day a different student will explain their family to the class. If time allots, two students may go per day. Each time a student shares his/her picture(s) will be placed under the roof of the house. Once all of the students and the teacher have shared, the house will be used as a metaphor for the family/classroom community that is going to be created over the course of the year. On days a child is sharing, they may choose to have their families come into school with them for sharing. However, that is not mandatory as not all families will be able to make it to school. If a child's parents/guardians are unable to come into school he or she can bring in objects or other pictures that he/she would like to share with the class to demonstrate his/her family. For instance, a student can bring in items or food representative of his/her culture and share them with the class. The goal being to create a culturally-responsive, inclusive classroom where differences are embraced and encouraged.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.1.a CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.1.b CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.3
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.4 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.6 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.1.1