Blog Post #9

teaching, class. (2018, November 26). Masters reflections – the home/school relationship. Class Teaching. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://classteaching.wordpress.com/2018/11/26/masters-reflections-the-home-school-relationship/

Part One:    After an examination of this week's module, it is very clear as to why it is very beneficial to have a positive and proactive home-to-school connection. There is a surplus amount of benefits that emerge from such a relationship. The module also provides plenty of information to drive family involvement, which goes a long way in establishing this connection.

    One of the critical activities that can influence parental involvement is parent-teacher conferences. These provide the opportunity for teachers to discuss firsthand with the child's parents and have the opportunity to touch base with one another. Because of the significance of such an event, it is vital to prepare appropriately. To really engage the parent and see that involvement take place, it can be helpful to keep in touch with the parents frequently, have data at your disposal, and allow the student to attend and participate in the interaction (Edutopia, 2015). This can tremendously help motivate parents to be more engaged with their child's education experience. Taking that time to prepare effectively can help create a beneficial meeting place for the two sides. However, while in the process of a family conference, there are some important suggestions to help create a welcoming environment. One of the tips that I found to be so simple but also important was making the interaction beneficial with positivity and comfort (Aguilar, 2011).  This is such a crucial strategy to master because there are only so many occasions in which you will meet with the parent of the student, and having said that, it's good to leave those limited encounters on a good note.

    With teaching, there will always be circumstances and obstacles that have to be overcome. While plenty of methods, including those stated above, exist to help create a great home-to-school connection, there will be circumstances where more action might be needed. This can be seen through students classified as English language learners. These students experience great challenges trying to learn a new language, which can be extremely difficult for them. With that in mind, allowing their home and school connection to flourish is vital. One way to allow for this to happen is by catering to the family's communication preferences. It's noted that the better understanding you have of a family communication method, the more effective the interactions will be (Breiseth, 2021). It goes without saying that proper communication is really necessary for a good home and school connection, especially with a student or family that are English language learners. This point became even more valuable and essential to me after seeing that Latino students have gotten to a point where they make up over 50 percent of the population of California schools (Reading and Beyond, 2011). Intrigued by this, I dedicated my additional source to finding ways to benefit ELL learners. I decided to look from the perspective of the classroom and see how teachers could directly work with these students to better their relationship with the school. I found that patience goes so far in helping ELL students feel a sense of belonging in the classroom. Specifically, being more patient with response time and slowing down the pace at which you speak (Kaplan, 2019). It truly is so fascinating to see that teachers can improve the school-to-home connection for any student if they put their minds to it.

    As far as the board of education meeting I attended. I feel as though my understanding of the meeting was enhanced due to the knowledge obtained in this class. Luckily, I noticed a certain part of the meeting that I feel can directly connect to this week's module. During this meeting, students received awards for certain academic accolades. Parents were in attendance to see their child be recognized, which I firmly believe can do nothing but benefit the school-to-home connection of a student. Celebrating success in the classroom with loved ones and being recognized by the board seems so positive for that relationship. As the meeting progressed, discussions were had pertaining to funding and what projects were being worked on. In my foundations class, we learned about finance and its role in schools, so it was really interesting to see that point come to life in a way.

Part Two: Through studying this module's resources, I feel I can create a compelling and beneficial plan for family communication. As someone who wishes to teach at the elementary level, I feel as though some of the strategies mentioned above can be of great use in creating effective communication with families. First, I think it's vital to get to know the parent before setting up a set communication plan for them. Determining how they wish to communicate, when it works best to communicate, and how often they'd like to be in touch can be helpful in creating the best possible plan. From there, I'll make a great point of emphasis on ending these interactions with positivity. I think for this, it's so important to always end on a good note so that the relationship between school and home can thrive. Overall, being flexible and accommodating is the key to effective communication in my eyes. Understanding that communication will be different from family to family depending on preference or way of life.

Reference

Aguilar, E. (2011, September 23). 20 Tips for Developing Positive Relationships with Parents. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/20-tips-developing-positive-relationships-parents-elena-aguilarLinks to an external site.

Borovoy, A.E. (2012, November 2). 5-Minute Film Festival: Parent-Teacher Partnerships. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/film-festival-parent-teacher-partnerships

Breiseth, L. (2021, August). Communicating with ELL Families: 10 Strategies for Schools. National Education Association. https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/tools-tips/communicating-ell-families-10-strategiesLinks to an external site. 

Family Engagement: Resource Roundup (2010, July 14). Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/home-school-connections-resourcesLinks to an external site.

Kaplan, E. (2019, April 12). 6 essential strategies for teaching English language learners. Edutopia. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/6-essential-strategies-teaching-english-language-learners/