Placing+Home+School+Interations+in+Perspectives

Using Epstein's Framework of Six Types of Involvement and Sample Practices (Figure 5.14), share two suggestions from the table that you have implemented in your classroom and/or your school. Discuss how it has impacted student and parent involvement.

Open communication between home and school is important, in my classroom I will offer conferences with parents as well using the school website for the parents to look as their students’ progress. This will help keep the parents informed about grades, homework assignments and the students will know there is open communication between the parent and teacher so they will be more responsible with completing their homework.-Chris

Chris- I completely agree with this! I believe it is impossible to have a good relationship with anyone without effective communication. If you have expectations for your students, then it is your responsibility to keep the parents and the students informed on their progress. *TRICIA*

Chris- I have found that with my children, having a good communication level with the instructor is needed to provide continuety within their education process. - Mike

Chris- I agree with you in many ways. I have found that in my short time as a parent of a preschooler that our communication level has taught me so much about my son and learning his strengths in her class. Mandy

__Chris-__ Open communication is so beneficial to making those connections from school into home life. Gives the parents the knowledge of what to ask beside "how was school today?". I had always worked at the day care my children went to and then when my daughter went to preschool I felt out of the loop. Didn't know what to ask about what they were doing in class. This would be that way if the teacher gave the parents a better idea of what they were doing that week. ***Amanda M.***

Students are required to do homework and parents need to be informed on what is being expected out of their children. I will achieve this by informing parents on ways to help their child with their homework. I will send out information on how to assist students to improve skills and various class and school assessments. I will also let them know the importance of a regular homework schedule. With parents being better informed it gets them more involved in the educational process and lets them know what they do at home help their child succeed. Students understand how important their education is since it is being stressed both at home and school.-Chris

Chris- I think this is a GREAT idea- I really like the sending home information on //how// to assist students.-Nikki

Chris, I agree with Nikki! What a wonderful and encouraging idea to send information home on how to assit students there. This is something that not everyone knows and understands. You would be providing a valuable resource for parents to use not only for your student, but for other children in the home. - Stephanie

Volunteering- In my classroom I would like to maximize parent involvement. Growing up parents could sign up for helping with celebratory parties in the classroom (ex. Valentines Day, Christmas, etc.). I would like to do this in my own classroom, but I would also like to have sign up or volunteer opportunities for parents when children are ‘learning’. Giving parents an opportunity to come into the classroom during lessons would show the students that their parents care about their education. Parents would be able to see their student’s progress first hand- not just through what they are told at parent/teacher conferences. -Nikki

Nikki- I think that volunteering is very important in a classroom. I think it's good for students to see other people from the community and other parents come in and be a part of their child's learning. I think that is a good idea to stress the importance of coming to the classroom during a lesson! *TRICIA*

Nikki- I can remember my parents being involved in many parties and field trips througout my education. I now look back and think of how much this helped me succeed in my schooling but also how big of a help it was to the teacher to have parents involved. Mandy

NIkki- Volunteering in the classroom is a great way for parents to be involved! I think its exciting for the child too because usually at a young age, kids are excited to show off to their friends. So its exciting to say, look, thats my mom, or dad... And its a great way for the parent to get to know the other children in the classroom and possibly the other parents as well.- Melissa C.

__Nikki-__Volunteering in the classroom and for trips or parties is a great way for the parent sto get in there and understand the dynamics of the classroom and to show that school is important. ***Amanda M.***

Communicating- I believe communication between parent(s) and teacher is one of the most important aspects in the classroom. In my classroom I would like to send home weekly schedules stating what the students will be doing (activities), what they will be learning, and why each of the activities is helping their education. This will also serve as reminders for up coming important classroom events. I will also provide my email and phone number (since not all parents have access to the internet) for parents to contact me. Aside from scheduled parent/teacher conferences, I will let parents know that I am available to have other conferences throughout the year for parents to address any concerns that may arise. This will ensure parents have the best opportunity to say involved in their child’s education. If parents are able to stay involved and informed their attitude toward my classroom will (hopefully) be positive- their positive attitude will be reflected onto their child, bettering the child’s experience as well. - Nikki

__ Communicating- __ In my classroom communication was always important. As I mention in the Keeping Parents Informed section, I made "daily news" papers as a way to communicate with the parents how their child was doing in the classroom from day to day. For upcoming events I would type out notes to send home with all the information. To allow for communication from home to school, I like the idea my daughter's preschool uses of sending home a folder where the parent receives information on a weekly basis, but also they can put notes in it and the teachers will see it. When I wrote out the "daily news" for parents, I was told several times how much they appreciate it. Especially for the parents of a child who had to have breathing treatments or if they had a child who was having a rough time while Mom was out of town. It really made communication between me and the other teacher and the parents much easier. __Learning at Home-__ To provide ideas and information about how to continue learning at home, I send home newsletters about upcoming themes and units we will be studying. I would include songs they can sing or crafts and activities they can do together. What I'd like to do in the future is send home a book bag. In the book bag would be a book, and an activity or game the family can do together. When they are finished with the book they can bring it back to the class and I'd restock it with the necessary materials to do the activity and send it home with another child. As a parent, if my daughter were sent home with a book bag, I would think that it is a great way to help her learn more about the theme at school as well as spend family time doing the activity.-Melissa

I really like your book bag idea, I have heard of it before and I always thought that was such a neat idea. Also by telling the parents in advance what was going to go on in their child's classroom is a great way for parents to be involved and know what their child is learning in school instead of getting the "nothing" answer from their child. -Michelle

Melissa- Communicating is vital to success, no matter what you are doing. I love how you stress this and I love the folder idea! It would work great for preschool and elementary but not so much at the secondary level. The closest thing we secondary people have is a planner. - Sean

Melissa- Your idea of learning at home would really help remind parents that they are the most important part of their child’s education. As a parent I forgive from time to time how important it is to teach my child and not just play with him.-Chris Melissa- sending home books, materials, or anything that includes the parents in the child's education process. As a parent, that makes me feel apart of my child's schooling. - Mike

Melissa- I REALLY like the learning at home ideas- especially having craft/activity ideas that relate to subjects being taught that parents and students can do together at home. - Nikki

Melissa - I enjoyed your idea on sending a bag home with an activity to do with the student's family. LOVE it! :) You are not only providing materials for families that may not have them or access to them, but you are also encouraging family time learning. Good stuff! :) - Stephanie

**Volunteering**: Having parents come in to the classroom is a great way for parents to get involved in their child(ren)'s education and a great way for the students to get experience in working with other adults. I think having an adult come in to the classroom gives the students a chance to get an "out of classroom" perspective from another adult. Having an adult volunteer from the community to teach a lesson from their related profession also gives the students a chance to see how different careers relate to what they are learning in school. I volunteer for JA with where I work at the bank. I have volunteered teaching lessons in 6th grade and in 4th grade. I think the students like having someone come in from the community and teach lessons and find ways to relate them to their profession. Having parents come in to the classroom also gives their child a chance to show their parent what they are doing. **Decison Making**: Getting parents involved not only in your classroom, but in the school, gives them chance to have a say in their child(ren)'s education. I think it is important for parents to be involved, especially if they aren't happy with a current situation. This also allows for other ideas to be implemented from parents. Keeping the parents informed about what is going on in school will also give them a chance to voice their opinion on what is being done for their child(ren). When students see their parents involved in the school, it alllows them to see that their education is important to them. *TRICIA*

Tricia-Having parent volunteers in the classroom helping with lessons is a great idea because it will help students associate what they are learning with what jobs are out there. Students don’t understand why they have to take certain classes and this would help them relate the subject to different professions.-Chris

==== **Volunteering** in the classroom and with school activities is one way my children’s school gets parents involved. In kindergarten, volunteers are welcome to help assist the teacher with daily activities. Field trips are also on the list of volunteers that are welcome. Every year, Fredericksburg holds its annual “Cougar Day,” full of track and field events as well as other fun activities. They rely heavily on parents and community volunteers. Volunteering shows the students that the parents are involved and care about their education. It is also an excellent way to display character that is desire by the students. Another form of involvement is **communicating**. Daily or weekly progress sheets to monitor progress of the child are a good form of communication. Email and internet websites are also another way to provide access for parents to stay connected to their child’s education. As a teacher, being accessible is necessary for the parents to form a connection and feel involved with the education process. - Mike ====

==== **Communicating**: Conferences, daily and weekly progress sheets, monthly newsletters, as well as email and phone conversations are all great forms of communication. I would make sure that I was providing ways to overcome language barriers, like an interpretor or a phone service that would communicate back and forth from parent to teacher (vice versa) in whatever language was needed. Ensuring open communication was encouraged to parents and students for an all-inclusive classroom. Being easily accessible and making sure to return information in a timely manner are all ways to assist with good communication between parent and teacher. This will also help the student to achieve academic success. ====

==== **Collaborating with Community**: This is very important to urban as well as rural situations. Urban because there is more cultural diversity that should be discussed and appreciated. Rural because of the lack there of for cultural diversity. By bringing in guest speakers from different cultural backgrounds this shows students to appreciate, not mock, differences in themselves and others. I would also encourage parents to become involved at this time to open the doors to cultural awareness and tolerance within themselves and their families. - Stephanie ====

Stephanie- That was very thoughtful of you to remember to provide ways to overcome language barriers when having communication over the phone. Communication from school to home is very important to make sure the child is getting the best academic achievement!- Melissa

I liked how you included a translator for your ELL students, having that will really help cross the language barrier and still allow open communication. -Michelle

Stephanie- I love the emphasis you put on cultural diversity! It would be great for schools to bring in speakers and stuff that are of a different culture that show us to appreciate it! I like the way you think!

Volunteering- I think that there are so many benefits to this. The students will get a spark from a change in the classroom. Every time someone new shows up in my house or at my childs school it is always a new behavior and new stories. By having parents come in they get to see first hand the way things go at the school and how their student is progressing. It also gives them a sense of pride to see how their child is learning and if there is an issue they can witness it for themselves. The importance of parent involvement is key to the success of the classroom.

Collaborating with community- The idea of this is so important. The community will gain a sense of pride looking into the success of their youth. The way other community members can educate by experience is great. This all comes back to the whole it takes a village statemnt that was so popular years ago. Mandy

**Volunteering--**I would gladly welcome parent volunteers in my classroom. I think this is an excellent way to get parents truly involved in their child's education. I have been very fortunate to have been able to volunteer in each of my children's rooms for several years. The teachers were always more than willing to have an extra set of hands, eyes, and ears available to help out. I would also encourage the parents to come on field trips and to classroom parties. Kids love to show off their mom or dad, and what a great way for parents to get to know other students in the class.

**Learning at Home--**I think it is important to give parents ideas of what they can be doing to help their students become more successful. These ideas could be as simple as math games or reading books that are at the students level. When teachers take the time to involve the kids' families everybody wins. This is also a great way to open communication between home and school. Learning is way different now than it was just a few years ago. It is important to keep families informed about how and what we are teaching their children. Jill

Stephanie--Even in the rural area, you can find lots of differnt careers going on, and involving community members would be a great way to show students all of the different jobs available to them when they graduate. Jill Tricia--Decision making is also very important. If we could get parents involved in little things, hopefully they would stay involved and when major things were being discussed with in the district there would be less negative feelings.

In coaching basketball, I’ve used a few of these. First, I use regular communication with parents to be sure we’re all on the same page with what is going on with activities. This could be anything from a practice being moved up an hour to a game being rescheduled. I could tell it kept parents asking their sons about basketball and keeping the parents interesting in what is going on other than just at the games. The second one I used was recruiting and organizing parent help/support. I needed someone responsible to keep book for the games (take stats) so I asked parents to help with that. This led to parents than weren’t asked to help simply stepping up to volunteer because they didn’t want to be left out. Many parents asked if there was something they could do to help out and the only job I had was doing book; the problem is that many of them do not know basketball well enough to do it without feeling completely overwhelmed. My only task for the parents that did not do book for me was to cheer loud and support the boys. -Sean

I would love to have parents come in and help teach the kids things that relate what we are talking about to real life situations. Making those connections is key i think. Not just having the dentist dad come in for hygeine week but having a carpenter come in during a algebra learnign about area and how that related to their job. And having parents come in and help during parties or during a reading time to help or other little things they could do. Also giving the parents the tools they need to help the kids with thier homework is a great idea. I've seen teachers pass out homeowrk boxes at the beginning of the year that had tools that would help the kids at home. These where just mailing boxes that had number lines and multiplication charts and other math tools along with other small tools that can help out alot in other subjects as well. I think parents are at a loss on how to really help so they shy away from it, but with a little know how they could be far more effective. ***Amanda M.***

Communication- communicating is a very big part of a successful classroom. If you don't have good communication skills with your students, your parents, or your administration then you will not have as successful of a classroom as you could have. Making sure that you have open communication with parents making sure that they know you are listening to their concerns and addressing them helps them to rely on you. Having good communication skills with your students will increase their trust in you and there wanting to learn from you. There are several ways to start that open communication, with notes home, conferences, phone calls home anytime not just when something is wrong, and so on.

Volunteering- All volunteers would be welcomed in my classroom. Working with children you can never have enough hands. Having parents, grandparents and others volunteering in your classroom is a great way to get involved in your child's education. It also can help increase those communication lines if the parent is involved themselves in the classroom. -Michelle

Type 2 Communicating: There can never be too much communication between school – home or home – school when it comes to a child’s education. To keep a parent informed on how their child is doing and school or to let the parent know that their child may need help on certain assignments are very beneficial to their education. You would also want to communicate accomplishments of the student and not just their failure. As a teacher I would also be greatly appreciative if the parents would communicate with me if something happened at home that would affect the student in school or if the student had mentioned something to them that they need help and were too scared or embarrassed to ask me for help. Adam Type 3 Volunteering: Although many parents are often busy with work. I believe it would be a great idea to have the parents volunteer to help out in the classroom when they can. Depending on the lesson plan for that day, you could have parents and discuss their different heritages or how certain events effect them in history (father/grandfather, mother/grandmother served in WWII ). Adam