TRB Standard 4
Educators value the involvement and support of parents, guardians, families and communities in schools.
Educators understand, respect and support the role of parents and the community in the education of students. Educators communicate effectively and in a timely manner with parents and consider their advice on matters pertaining to their children.
REFLECTION
For my evidence piece, I have included a letter that my fellow student teachers and I wrote to send home to parents in order to invite them to our class potluck.
In writing the letter and eventually meeting many of the students’ parents, I learned a lot about each student and gained a great insight into what their lives are like when they leave the classroom. I also learned that whatever anxiousness I felt (as a student teacher meeting parents for the first time) was echoed in the parents as well. But I should have known that it wasn’t about me - parents were primarily concerned with how their child was doing! I learned that we generally share the same goals: we want students to do well and be happy. There were definitely moments that arose where I was able to reassure parents on how their child was doing in the class, which was a phenomenal feeling for me as well as for the parent. It was a dynamic I hadn’t expected and really appreciated. Parents were also given the opportunity to get to know the student teachers, as some of them had heard quite a lot about us from their child over the two weeks leading up to the potluck. Finally, parents were given an opportunity to connect with other parents of students in their child’s class. The potluck acted as a relaxed yet valuable meeting and really created a broader sense of community within and outside of the classroom.
In demonstrating this TRB standard and communicating effectively and respectfully with parents, I’ve had an insight into how much stronger a student-teacher relationship can be when the parents are an extension of that relationship as well. Just as the teacher is there for student support, so is the parent, so when parents and teachers can discuss concerns and strategies for support, everyone benefits. I also believe that trust is an integral part of any classroom, and especially one with young students. Inviting parents into the classroom supports social theories of learning, and including them in events is a way to foster trust in the teacher from both students and parents.
A strength of my chosen evidence is that it represents part one of a greater goal, which was conducted in three parts. Firstly, we wrote and sent the letter home to parents. Secondly, parents were able to choose what they wanted to bring and let us know by returning the form to class. Thirdly, parents came to the classroom to share food, chatted with the teacher as well as other parents, and stayed for the potluck if they so wished.
It is crucial to build a broader sense community in our classrooms and connect with parents because there is no Hero Award for the teacher who tries to do everything single handedly. Failing to ask for help and support is a terrible missed opportunity, and hurts our students in the long run. It takes a lot of support for children to reach their full potential, and that starts with teachers, parents, coaches, librarians, friends, family, the list goes on … working together and helping children reach their goals.
I will hold myself to this TRB standard in my classroom by providing many opportunities for parents to get involved. We will have potlucks, field trips, performances, and other events that parents will be encouraged to attend. The more that we recognize that we want the same things for our students and the greater connection we build within the classroom’s extended community, the more we can share an inspired attitude towards learning and our schools.
REFLECTION
For this evidence piece, I have chosen to include the “All About My Family” booklet - a series of pages I designed to compliment our unit on family and identity during my kindergarten practicum. Our goals were to understand the diversities and commonalities of communities and individuals, as well as the idea that we all have stories and traditions that reflect our families and where we come from. A goal of this unit was to foster a greater sense of understanding and pride in students’ identity, as well as building a stronger sense of community in and outside of our classroom. We took this opportunity to encourage students to have conversations with their parents about their family’s history and traditions, and in doing so strengthened relationships between students and parents, parents and teachers, and teachers and students.
In creating the evidence for this TRB standard, I was able to experience a shift in how students understood themselves and each other. I also experienced a shift in the parent’s involvement. Parents brought in traditional food as well as family treasures for their child to share with the class (including a precious prayer blanket and a photo album assembled especially for the class) which was really special. The students’ stories spurred a sense of understanding among them, and initiated conversations between students, parents and the teachers.
This evidence piece has impacted my beliefs relating to this TRB standard because I learned how much parents have to offer our classrooms. We are much more effective teachers when we have support from parents, as they hold so much knowledge that we as teachers do not have. Having conversations with parents about traditional foods, their country of origin, language, and other traditions was really eye opening. It also made parents and students alike feel a deeper connection to me as a teacher, each other, and the learning.
Students were able to respond to questions through writing, drawing pictures, or both. They also had the opportunity of sharing a family treasure with the class. In this way, the lesson was differentiated to give students choices in how to share their stories.
A strength of my evidence is that it is only an example of a broader unit and theme. In addition to the “All About My Family” booklet, we learned a song (“Every Family’s Special”), had a potluck with traditional foods, and read literature about different kinds of families.
This TRB standard is important to me as a new teacher because it is crucial that parents and I have ongoing conversations to identify goals for students and that we be on the same page. Building strong relationships beyond the classroom creates more support for student learning as well as support for the teacher. Having a supportive community of family will help enable activities such as field trips, guest speakers, and more.
Communication is key to all relationships. As per this TRB standard, it is really important to have ongoing, effective communication with parents. Their input helps me view the students’ learning from a different perspective, and will help guide my lesson planning going forward.
I will hold this TRB standard true by having an open door policy, inviting parents to participate in class and school wide events, hosting celebrations, communicating our learning to parents, collaborating with other classes, scheduling parent-teacher meetings, and facilitating learning out in the community.
My attitude relating to this TRB standard is that learning should a community endeavor. The more support our students have, the more successful they will be. If parents, peers, and teachers keep open communication and strive towards the same goals, our students will feel safe to take risks and grow.