Home/School Connection Introduction

    This weeks blog on the home and school interaction is an informative and influential post. As educators we are not only responsible for educating the students academically, but to be future full functioning adults when they leave our school. Hence, why it is important for us to have a connection their lives outside of the classroom, such as their parents and home life. If we develop these connections and have a method of communication, we are better able to help the student in all areas. This relationship mimics a triangle- the student and teacher have a relationship- the parents and teacher have a relationship- and the parent, student, and teacher all have a unified relationship.  
 
    The first corner of the triangular relationship is the student teacher interaction. As of late, it has been heard how  "...teachers talk about how helpless they feel when it comes to reaching out to their students" and how they want "The days of being the person whose job it is to exclusively provide students with an education-- and nothing more--" to be over (Provenzano, 2014.) It is important to note how as educators we are seeing the same children everyday for an entire school year, and we develop relationships that should continue to last, not simply fade away. In an article titled "3 Ways to Make Meaningful Connections With Your Students" Provenzano emphasizes the first 5 minutes with your students, the attendance of extra-curricular activities, and being available. The first 5 minutes is important, Provenzano explains that he can "... learn so much about my students in these few minutes each and every day" and is able to "... figure out very quickly who has a tough home life based on their answers" (Provenzano, 2014.) Also, a teacher's attendance to extra-curricular activities shows their passion for the students and their interests. This is important because "It's important to take an interest in the things students love if you want them to take an interest in what you love" (Provenzano, 2014.) Being available for your students is self explanatory. Offering office hours or extra help shows that you care enough about your students to take time out of the day for them that is not only the allotted class time.  
        
  The second corner is the teacher-parent relationship. These relationships are far more beneficial than people realize. I recall as a high school student absolutely loving when my parents met my teachers. In fact, my teachers loved my parents so much that they are facebook friends and recently bumped into one another and had a nice talk, despite the fact that I have graduated. "Not surprisingly, research shows that the more parents and teachers share relevant information with each other about a student, the better equipped both will be to help that student achieve academically" (2019.) In another article, "8 Tips for Reaching Out to Parents" we are informed about how to establish the foundations for these types of relationships. One important one is keeping E-Mail timely and brief. When parents email you, it is important to reply the same day. If you do not do so, "you make your school and yourself look lazy and unprofessional" (Cutler, 2014.) Another conducive recommendation is calling home to report good news. It is a rarity that parents receive a phone call that results in good news, but by doing so "These calls let parents know that [you] care as much about recognizing success and improvement as [you] do about spotting struggle and weakness" (Cutler, 2014.) Additionally, "These calls also reassure parents that [you are not] out to make life more difficult for their child..." (Cutler, 2014.)  
  
    The third corner is the teacher-student-parent relationship, where everyone comes together.     However, this third corner is not always easy, as not all parents desire to be engaged. In the article "Family Engagement: Engaging the Disengaged" it discusses a back-to-school night, open house, and various conferences which usually resulted in 20% attendance from parents. The principal explained that "That wasn't okay with me. Parents are an essential part of our success with our students; we need them" (Aguilar, 2016.) When she reached out to various adults, they explained that they had much disdain towards the school due to their experiences there, and that teachers always have the same complaints about their children and they no longer want to hear it. As future educators we need to find ways to resolve parent feelings and discover the root of the problem causing disengagement because the relationship between student, teacher, and parent is crucial.  

    I watched the video... which talked about parent mentors working alongside teachers. This program was conducive in this Chicago school because the school itself was low income, and appeared to be short staffed. So implementing the program allowed students to get that extra help and attention in the classroom.  However, the impact has gone beyond just raising test scores. The principal said the parent mentor influence is so strong, because of their involvement, that at times he cannot identify who the teacher is. The program did not only help the students, but parents as well. It has influenced graduates to go on and pursue or complete their own education. The one mother said the program allowed her to realize she had potential. 

I attended a virtual Board of Education meeting for Lynbrook district, but it did not relate to many of the topics we have discussed throughout this course. The most interesting part of the meeting was when the session allowed for public comments. One man took the podium and expressed his motion to have mask mandates removed. To have someone speak their opinion and ask when local control will be taken was an important question to ask. It showed how real world problems effect schools and our children who attend them. A woman also mentioned the school shooting that occurred on that day, which was another real world problem that was addressed. To be frank, the meeting was quite boring until the public comments came about, and how people in the district vote for the school officials, not all these politicians who are controversial and controlling. 

https://www.lynbrookschools.org/Assets/BOE_Virtual_2122/112421_December_1_2021_Agenda_and_Resolutions.pdf?t=637733623296830000

References

Provenzano, N. (2014, February 24). 3 ways to make meaningful connections with your students. Edutopia. Retrieved November 23, 2021, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/make-meaningful-connections-with-students-nick-provenzano.

Cutler, D. (2015, August 20). 8 tips for reaching out to parents. Edutopia. Retrieved November 23, 2021, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/tips-reaching-out-to-parents-david-cutler.

Building parent-teacher relationships. Reading Rockets. (2019, September 26). Retrieved November 23, 2021, from https://www.readingrockets.org/article/building-parent-teacher-relationships.

Aguilar, E. (2016, May 27). Family engagement: Engaging the disengaged. Edutopia. Retrieved November 23, 2021, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/family-engagement-engaging-disengaged-elena-aguilar.