In the chapter you read for today, the author makes suggestion for “building trust with families and weathering controversy.” What is your initial reaction to her suggestions? What sits well with you? What doesn’t? Why?
I look forward to hearing your thinking, and to reviewing this asynchronous conversation!
I loved reading this chapter! I really hope to be the teacher that the author portrays herself to be. One of the first things that really stuck out to me in this chapter was the teacher making home visits after receiving her class list in August. By doing this, she is already creating a relationship with the student and their families. Like the author wrote, she is able to learn a lot about both her students and about her students’ families. By doing this, the teacher is being proactive about any problems that may come up throughout the year. I also really liked how the author creates a bulletin board for the beginning of the year with pictures of her students with their family. The author is showing that her students’ families are just as important to her as her students. The students also have the opportunity to see how all families are different. A second piece of this chapter that really stuck out to me was how much parent involvement is incorporated into her classroom. One instance of this is when the author collaborated with one of her student’s mother about concerns the mother had with the student sharing a video about her orphanage with the class. After a meeting with the student and her mother, the three of them were able to come to a consensus about which parts of the video will be shared with the class. By working together, the author is showing that she values everyone’s opinion. Another example of parent involvement that I enjoy from the author is creating Bilingual Family Math nights. I think that this was a great idea to make these families feel included, when they normally may not. One last way in which I like how the author incorporates family involvement in her classroom to create a community is being flexible when the parents come in. Because of work schedules, it can be extremely difficult for some parents to come into the classroom when teachers only have set times for parent volunteers. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this because it gave me so many ideas to use for when I become a teacher!
My initial reaction is to agree with the author. I do believe in incorporating parents into the classroom settings, and developing relationships with families in order to better serve the child. I thought it was cool how this teacher visited the homes of all the families of her future students. In a perfect world, this would be ideal. I’m wondering how this would play out today. The bulletin board representing the diverse families that attend her class was another awesome aspect of her classroom, as it celebrates diversity and gives students a connection to their home while they spend hours away. I never considered how building a repertoire with parents will combat issues in the future. That it would be easier to explain mistakes/admit to them when parents have a sense of who you are as a teacher. It is something to consider for my future classroom. I believe in having ties with parents and making them all feel that their children are important, as well as their lives both inside and outside of the classroom. It is no secret that this affects their academic abilities. I appreciated the perspective of a new teacher as this is how I feel when I think about my future class and making mistakes in it. It gives me anxiety to consider these inevitable mishaps. However, making the classroom a window for parents to look into, through use of weekly letters, game nights, and adequate explanations will make this easier to host discussions with parents. Teachers shouldn’t be solely holding discussions with parents based on indiscretions. They should have open communication and feel comfortable around each other so that the parents can be another resource for the teacher to utilize. The chapter gives me plenty of ideas I hope to implement. I also agree with the author in working with parent’s schedules. Having two parents that work, I know that neither would be able to participate in activities held during normal school hours. The fact that this teacher provides options to meet prior to the school day, and selected a night of the week to get together shows that she is aiming to work with ALL parents, rather than exclude those that work hard. I agree and appreciate much of what she conveyed. The only thing that does not sit well with me is that as a new teacher, one might be overwhelmed with planning curriculum, leaving no time for weeknight gatherings. Time is always an issue for teachers, particularly those new to the field. However, I feel that it is an obstacle that can be overcome, and will fix itself if the teacher is dedicated enough.
I don’t really like the idea of home visits. I like the idea of getting to know the family better, but not in their home. I feel like you could ask the question, “What would you like me to know about your child?” in almost any other location. I say this because I think that the home is a personal space and I wouldn’t want to “invade” their space. I don’t think I would have liked to have any of my teachers come into my home, whether I liked them or not.
I do like the idea of the letter going home, however. I think that is a great idea that keeps families informed. The only negative thing about the letters, that you can’t avoid, is families that don’t read them. You hope that all of your families take the time to read the letters and become more involved in their child’s education, as well as the classroom. With that being said, I love parent volunteers in the classroom. I think that is such a fun, simple way that parents can be involved in their child’s education. There could be some problems with children whose parents can’t volunteer. I know both my parents worked when I was in school, so I never had them as volunteers. I always did enjoy when my friend’s parents came into our classroom, however!
I think it’s very interesting that you are so turned off by the idea of a home visit. Personally, it was a new idea to me as I had never heard of it before, but the way she described it in this chapter did not make it feel like an invasion at all. I think you can get to know so much about someone by entering their home or a space that is personal– and I think that connection for a student teacher relationship is imperative. I’d love to hear more about why it would have made you uncomfortable as a teacher and even as a student when we discuss in class. I agree that letters to parents are a great idea, even if they don’t always get read. At least as the teacher you know you are doing your due diligence to communicate openly with the families. Parent volunteers are also great. I had two parents that both worked full-time jobs. My dad came to volunteer one time while I was in elementary school and I still remember every detail to this day.
At first I wasn’t sure I was going to agree with the author’s methods. One of the first things I noticed was the quote on the cover, it says, “life is inherently messy. . . but out of messiness comes great things” -Margaret Wheatly. This made me want to keep reading. Her personal story was very interesting and I enjoyed the solution she and the parent came up with in tandem. I did not like that she continued to refer to the child as “challenging”. This is only because it can have such a negative connotation. I was able to move past this when I realized the author is all about taking risks and was not afraid to make mistakes. She told the kids it was safe environment where they could mess up too. The most interesting thing I found in this reading was how far this teacher goes for each individual student she has. I like the idea of home visits and parent-teacher interactions outside of the school system. This method gives the teacher a chance to get to know not only the students on a personal level, but the parents as well. These visits give a full picture of what the child is dealing with outside of school and educators can form genuine connections with families. The most useful thing that comes from these visits is the fact that the teacher now knows what specific things they can discuss to make learning experiences more individualized. For example, on a home visit an educator can learn that a student has 2 mommy’s, lives with grandma, was adopted, etc. This allows a teacher a chance to be better prepared to discuss more touchy subjects with students. The only thing that concerned me about this method is the amount of time it would take to go individually meet every child’s family. I might instead only do home visits on request and throw a picnic or something to meet everyone. This may also be a more comfortable situation for some parents. Overall, I really enjoyed this reading and agreed with the fundamentally principles the author was putting forth. I would carry out the interactions differently.
I enjoyed reading this chapter! I thought that the author brought up some really interesting points. First, which people mentioned above a lot was the home visits. While I think the idea of this is really cool, it could be really complicated. Some families may not be 100% open to having someone come into their home, and just want the teacher to get to know the student at school. It also may be intimidating for a shy student to meet one on one with their teacher and they could be nervous. On the other hand, it is a great way to get to know your students and start to kind of plan ahead for learning styles. It is also a great way to get to know a student’s family. I agree with the author and believe that family involvement in SUPER important; however, it is not always possible for all families. In some families, both parents work, or it is a single-parent household and that parent cannot miss work. I think that in this case, there needs to be opportunities for parents to help out who work during the school day. Another thing that the author brought up and I just wanted to touch on was foster families/adoptive homes. I currently have a foster sister who has been living with my family for about a year. She is 16 years old, and was my younger sister’s (also 16) best friend for many years. After being in a bad family situation, my family took her in. to me, they are both my sisters and I introduce them as such. However, after talking to them about it, they both said that it is weird for them in school. My foster sister’s guardians are my parents, and they sign permission forms and pay for extra expenses. At least 2 times a school year, they get flagged and my parents are contacted and questioned about it. My sisters don’t advertise that they live together because people don’t take the situation seriously. The transition was difficult for both of my sisters and I feel bad that they can’t be comfortable with in in school.
I found this reading to be extremely interesting! I think that acknowledging difference is one of the most important things about being a good teacher. The author valued and worked hard to form relationships with the families of their students. The way this teacher initiated these relationships was through home visits. Although this may have been a sufficient form of communication, I do not feel like in today’s world this is a reasonable and helpful thing to do. I do however agree with the author about building strong relationships. I found the opening story about the smart boy who was aggressive and would call out, very real. The mother of this child suggested to the teacher to place him at a desk with worksheets. I appreciated how the teacher heard what the mother was saying but decided to not isolate the student. Instead, the teacher invited the mother into the classroom. Home and school are different environments. As well as previous classrooms. I feel like bringing the mother into the classroom and seeing her child in that classroom was beneficial to all involved and allowed everyone to be on the same page. This situation supports the idea that all classrooms function differently due to the children that fill it. All children are unique and all families are unique. I think this idea of uniqueness and difference is one of the most crucial things teachers should value when working with students.
I think that it’s interesting you bring up the point about home visits, and your take on them. While I thought that it was a good idea to make home visits, I see where you’re coming from to say that in this day and age it might not be such a plausible idea. I also thought that it was a great idea that the author brought the mother into the classroom to see what it is like, because like you said “home and school are very different.” Overall, I really thought that this was an interesting read, too!
I really enjoyed this reading because it is filled with fantastic ideas on how to incorporate parents and family members into your students education. I think its very important to bring the important people in the student’s life into the classroom because they can provide insight on their child’s behavior. These visitors can also bring new ideas and activities into the classroom. I believe teaching s not just the teacher and the students but its a collaboration between the families, tudors, other school staff, the teacher, and much more. It takes a village, right? I also really liked this reading because of the statement that being a foster or adopted child is a big part of the child’s identity. The first day I was babysitting Mia (Who has tanned skin, dark hair, and dark eyes) told me she had Mexican blood in her and asked if I same too. Neither of her parents had her tanned skin and nether of them looked distinctly Mexican. I told her I had Russian blood and then I asked her if mom or dad where from Mexico. She said neither and she was adopted. She looked so proud of her Mexican blood! She clearly identifies herself as an adoptee.
I think it’s really important that education in schools is mixed with home life for young students. There are several groups of people that should converse with one another to ensure that students receive the best possible education. Two important groups are teachers and parents. I believe that parents should be part of the education process. Daily or weekly readings at home should be heavily encouraged. Because it helps children feel appreciated and cared for on all sides of education. However, I understand not all parents can participate in readings, and teachers must be aware of this. I would like to gind out which parents will be able to participate in readings at the beginning of the year. Then i would have an after school activities for those who have a need and desire for daily reading in my class. But, I would want parents to participate in some way.
I really like the way she addresses a classroom. I especially like that she doesn’t shy away from certain topics. I know people don’t want to bring up topics like racism, disabilities, family issues etc. but sometimes its better to talk about them rather than ignore them. If you never talk about a subject with your students, they will never be able to formulate a opinion for themselves. I think her suggestions are very doable and they don’t seem to extreme. I remember in elementary school I was always so excited when one of my family members came into the classroom for the day. It made me feel proud to show them what I did and how much I learned. I also see the potential for the family meeting but I don’t know how I feel about it. I could see maybe meeting the family before school starts but I would have the meeting be in the school. I’ve actually done this for camp. I would meet the campers on my bus a week before camp started just to get a vibe from them. I felt it was always a little awkward. I never knew what to do with my body, I didn’t want to just invite myself in and make myself comfortable. If I were to ever do this it would probably be in the classroom. She has a lot of good points and I will definitely take some of them with me in my first classroom.
I really enjoyed reading this section of the book. Her way of addressing the classroom, not shying away from topics that most teachers would stay away from not only amaze me but also motivate me to do the same. She truly goes in depth to really better the relationship between the teacher and the parents. This approach can have such a strong positive effect on the children and can help them actually enjoy learning and going to school when getting support and positive vibes between parent and teacher. The only criticism I have for her is that having visits in their home might be a bit to invasive for some parents. I think this can be done just as effectively in a neutral open space where neither is in one’s own territory. What I mean is that sometimes it can be overwhelming meeting at home or in the classroom where one side is more in control then other. I think being in a neutral space creates an even playing field where both sides can feel that they are both being heard and respected.
I found this excerpt very interesting and enjoyable to read. I think this author had a lot of interesting ideas and there were many things she did in her classroom that I think are very important to address. One of the things that she mentioned which I think was something many teachers should think about more is parent and family involvement. Parent’s trust their children with teachers for many hours each week and they should have an idea what their child is doing and learning in the classroom. I like how the author says she wants to learn from the parents as well. The author admits that teaching is the type of job where even the teacher is constantly learning something, whether its how to better the curriculum, manage the class, how to teach a subject, or simply how to help one particular child. I think its great that this teacher looks to learn from the parents as well as the students. It’s also amazing how this teacher tries to get all families and cultures involved in her classroom. She sends home letter to keep families involved in their child’s learning, asks families to come in to help teach a lesson, and even teaches lessons using Spanish to help families and students who do not speak english. I absolutely loved this teachers approach using games to help teach math to Spanish speaking students and even their parents. It was effective and got the children excited to learn mathematics. I also enjoy how this teacher was not afraid to bring difficult conversations in her classroom. Many teachers completely avoid topics such as race, sexual orientation, religion, ethnic/cultural diversity and divorce and family issues. I admire how this teacher allowed one of her students to share her adoption story and then had a class discussion about adoption and why it is not a bad thing and why it happens. Having discussions like this, especially with younger students, is very important because it will prevents children from having a negative stigma towards everyday and very common social issues. The only thing that I think would be approached differently today by most teachers is home visits. I think that it is admirable that this teacher went to the extent she did to get to know her students and visit each individual child’s home, but I think today parents may find that a bit intrusive. More so, in today’s busy age, many parents may not always be around to meet and host their child’s teacher. Everything else this teacher did relating to parent and family involvement I think is appropriate and effective (ex. letters home, helping teach in class, field trips, calls home, etc). I like the idea of house visits, but I think in ways it is a but unrealistic depending on the circumstances of the school and community environment. To learn more about students home life and about their personality, teachers can do personality surveys or (I recently learned this in a workshop) have them answer questions like “Something I wish my teacher knew is_______”. Overall, I really enjoy what this teacher had to say and I learned a lot about how effective family involvement is in the classroom.
I love the suggestions the author gives. Going into your students homes and meeting with them can be invaluable to gauge the students interest, activity level, home life and so much more. My only dissenting thought is what about families who aren’t comfortable with you coming in to their homes? How do you reach out to them? Having parents come in can be fun and help build community. However, if they come in to often it may become a distraction, though I’d like to see it happen. Having children bring in that shows off their cultural heritage also looks like a lot of fun! I would have loved to bring in my Pop-Pop’s shillelagh. I thought it was the coolest thing growing up and I think it would have been beneficial to integrating me to the class. I also liked the fact that she recommends you don’t shy away from real controversy. Like the colonialist nature of America. All in all, I would say this was a great read and I’d consider buying the book myself.
My initial reaction to this was that I think that it would be very hard to go to every child’s home and introduce yourself and have a sit down with them. Just because in classes I’ve been in theres usually about 30 children so I just feel like maybe there wouldn’t be a way to organize that time. However I think it was very smart and I think that that would be a great way to really get to know a child and they background. In some instances I wish that my teacher did that just to get to know me a little better and get to know the problems I faced at home. Because with some students, home life really affects how they learn and what a child has access too. I liked how she brought the parents into the classroom to educate the students on different cultures or social issues, just because she’s the teacher doesn’t mean that she still can’t learn from people. I think that’s something I would do because personally I liked when parents were brought in so I could learn about my friends backgrounds. I recently did a paper for another class about parent involvement in the classroom. I had went to a school were parents weren’t apart of the classroom and the teacher had explained that having no parents seems to benefit some of the children. I think that this could work for some but not for all. In the younger grades having a parent come in may hinder some of the children because of attachment issues. But in older grades I think that children could really learn from having parents come in. I don’t think anything didn’t sit well with me. I really liked this article and the ideas that were in it. Overall, I think I would bring a lot of these ideas into my future class and I defiantly think that I learned new ways to have a relationship with my future students families.
My initial thoughts after reading this chapter was how much I long to model the humbleness and intelligence of this teacher in my future classroom. She talked about subjects that I either haven’t given that much thought or had really never even heard of until this point. For example, I never realized before this semester that home visits were so common. I had also never read such a detailed account of what goes on at such home visits. After reading her stories on what she was able to learn about her students and the deeper connection she made with each student because of the home visit, I am eager to get my class list and do the same thing! Throughout the reading I was in awe of all the challenges the author faced as a first year teacher and how she was able to approach each situation with such care and understanding. I had never before thought of the awkwardness that might be the result of a child in foster care or being recently adopted within the classroom. I loved how she reached out to the parents and was humble enough to ask for help in an area she didn’t feel like she had a good handle on. The letters that the teacher sent home were also a great added detail to the effort for communication with parents. They were informative, detailed and inclusive to all of her students. The teacher was also able to handle the controversies she faced within the classroom and at school very well. I like how she admits with sincerity that she is not the authority on everything and that she too makes mistakes. She is the first person to take responsibility for her own actions and figure out a way to resolve the problems caused. In a nut shell, the teacher is very pro-active and it is obvious how much she cares for her career and her students.
I really enjoyed reading this excerpt. I never really considered foster/adopted children when I thought about the diverse groups of students I would encounter so for me this was especially important to read. I really appreciated when the author wrote about how she speaks to the students and their parents. “What would you like me to know about you?” and “What would you like me to know about your child?” are two really good open ended questions. They allow for the child or parent to not feel up against a wall but also open up about the important characteristics about themselves or their child. Secondly, I also think it was a really great idea for her to host the multilingual math nights. That is a really great way to bring parents of different cultures into the classroom and to make them feel more at ease about their child feeling at ease. We all smile and worry and feel comfort in the same language so tying those three together would definitely be very beneficial to the students. Something that struck me as a little bit surprising while I was reading was the piece about home visits. I was not expecting it in any form. When I was growing up teachers never visited my home, they called home and had meetings with my parents at school but never invaded my home. Now I say invaded because that is what I think a student could interpret a home visit as. I obviously could be very wrong, every student is different and I am sure some students would be thrilled to show their teacher their home. I did however like how the author used that time to get the parents involved in the classroom by inviting them on field trips and telling them where to look for opportunities.
All in all, I think that the author has a very useful perspective on getting parents and families involved. Her ideas were not set for utopia, as that is something we will never reach. There will always be a parent or two that we dread dealing with. However, reaching out and getting the parents involved can help them to see the challenges that their own children provide and can help us all come up with solutions.
Overall, I really enjoyed this article. I love the idea of going to all of my students houses before the school year starts. Something like this seems so benefical to the teacher, the student and the parents because they get to meet each other one on one, and in the comfort of their own home. Something like this is good because most of the time, parents do not get to meet the teacher until a couple of weeks into the school year, and if for some reason they cannot make it to parent teacher night, they do not get to make that connection. Even if they are able to go, it is nothing compared to the one on one experience. Something like this is something I hope I can do in my classroom. Before the students even walk into my classroom, I could have a personal bond with all of them.
Another thing that I liked about the article was how truthful the author was. She admitted when she did not know something and she was not afraid to ask for help when she needed. When the little girl with the foster moms came up, the teacher flat out admitted to the moms that she did not know how to talk about foster parents and she asked for help. I also like how the author gets the parents involved. She sends home weekly letters detailing what the week will entail, and she allows parents to come in if they want and help out in the classroom.
Overall, I really enjoyed the article and I am excited to be able to use some of the techniques in my own classroom some day. It is important to make each student feel welcomed and safe in the classroom, and it is the teachers job to do so.
My initial reaction to the author’s suggest was to agree with what she was saying. It makes sense that building trust with the families of your students would help when it comes to weathering controversy. Getting to know families helps a lot to avoid controversy. If you know and understand the cultures and ideas of the families of your students you can work with that when creating your classroom environment. I really like this idea, but when it comes to home visits, not all families would welcome you into welcome you, as their child’s teacher, into their home. This could actually cause some controversy between you and the families of your students rather than making it better. Weekly letters home are a much better way of communicating with families because it is a less invasive way into their homes and lives. I really like the idea of inviting parents into the classroom. The only thing to be careful with in doing this is to make sure you don’t make it seem like they are obligated to come in and help because for some parents that isn’t an option.