Teachers, Caregivers, and the Community Working in Collaboration Chapter 14

Reflections on Parents and Caregivers What are your expectations of your students’ parents? How do you think they will want to be involved in their children’s education? What would you say to parents who don’t seem to value education? How would you get them involved? What would you say to “helicopter parents,” who are overly involved?

PTA Standards for Parental Involvement Programs School’s responsibility: Schedule regular communication between home and school Support parenting skills Involve parents in major decisions Parents’ responsibility: Assist in child’s learning Volunteer at the school Collaborate with the community to provide resources for the school

Understanding Students’ Homes and Families Recognize that students may come from backgrounds and value systems that differ from those of their teachers Be careful not to make assumptions about students’ lives based on their socioeconomic status Recognize that some students have nontraditional families

Some Principles for Building a Positive Home–School Connection Learn as much as possible about the student and family Greet parents warmly at open houses/conferences Share students’ successes Ask parents what they observe about child’s skills Find someone to help with language barriers Attend community events Show parents how they can help the child at home Work with community groups that offer free tutoring Find out what health/social services are available Provide parent networks to help new families who have just moved into the district

Benefits of Parent/Caregiver Involvement Benefits to students: Academic Physical Social Emotional Parents have improved perception of school effectiveness

Engaged Parents/Caregivers Believe... They can affect their child’s education They are important in their child’s development They are wanted by their school They should feel comfortable helping at school They can be successful in helping their child’s learning

Ways to Communicate with Parents/Caregivers Introductory letter/ Newsletters Bulletin boards Parents’ nook Phone calls/ s Happy grams Portfolios with personal notes Daily welcome at the school door or bus Parent–teacher conferences

Sample Happy Gram

Sample Portfolio Return Form

Guidelines for Successful Family–Teacher Conferences Schedule a time that is good for parents/caregivers Find out if caregivers speak English Be aware of who is coming to the conference Be sensitive to the economic situations of some families, who may not have transportation Prepare for conference with samples from student work Involve students (continued)

More Guidelines for Conferences Arrange a clean, comfortable space; don’t sit behind a desk Use a timer to stay on schedule Begin on a positive note; tell parents what their child does well Have goals and notes to keep conversation on track Listen to caregivers’ concerns and questions Don’t become defensive Never talk about other students Do not use jargon End by specifying goals regarding what the child can and should attain

Traits of Ideal Parents Value learning Allow time for homework and monitor it Are involved with school activities Discuss school matters with children at home Establish good behavior—respect, courtesy, patience, etc. Emphasize reading Respond to notes promptly Monitor child’s eating/sleeping habits

Basic Guidelines for Helping Parents Read with their Children Remember that parents are busy and may not have much time Provide options (read to/read with child, listen to child read) Provide materials or booklists Help select books that are at a child’s reading level Encourage all types of reading Share audiobooks if parents are learning English Share strategies with parents so they can stay motivated

Types of Materials to Read Together Environmental print on billboards, menus, labels, ads, etc. Lists and recipes Rhymes and poems Songs Parts of the newspaper (e.g., sports, comics) Mail, including bills Religious texts Songbooks or hymnbooks Sites on the Internet; word play sites

Other Ways to Establish a Home-School Literacy Connection Summer reading programs Traveling Tales Word study, puzzles, and games

Difficult Parents/Caregivers Those who seem not to value education Those who seem highly critical of everything the teacher does Those who do not accept that their child is struggling with reading/writing

Dealing with Difficult Parents/Caregivers Respect all parents and caregivers Welcome participation; encourage parents to get involved if they aren’t already Paint a positive, honest picture of the child Be consistent Don’t compare one child to another; don’t talk about other children Listen to concerns, complaints, and criticism without becoming defensive

Effective Community Volunteers Meet state and district background checks Have prior experience in reading to children Are competent in the specific literacy skills they are tutoring Have positive attitudes Are proficient in English, if that is not their native language

Caregiver Involvement and Technology Technology nights Students demonstrate their computer skills and talents Technology classes for caregivers Technology at home Share educational websites with caregivers Encourage caregivers to share appropriate sites that they’ve found

More Reflections on Parents and Caregivers Imagine that the mother of one of your students is a teacher or principal in another school district, and her ideas about teaching differ from yours. How might you handle this mother’s comments and suggestions about the best way to teach her child?

Related Video Presentations You can see video interviews with a primary teacher and an intermediate teacher on strategies for working with parents (which are related to the discussion on pages 360–369 of the chapter).primary teacherintermediate teacher