In a reading from EDT 473, I have found a teacher who I believe has found the way to have a strong relationship between parents and the school. Mary Cowhey says to establish a good relationship and trust with families by sending home a letter to the families of your future students before the school year starts. Teachers can learn about their students and their families through home visits. The child gets to show the teacher things about their home life specifically, but the teacher is also able to pick up on other information such as how the child relates to their siblings. Home visits are a good way for a teacher to truly see the diversity in all of his/her students families. The teacher has the chance to talk with a parent directly about anything they want to share about their home lives because nearly everything at home can affect how the child acts in school. Cowhey noticed objects around the home that the families seemed to be interested in and asked them to share the objects with the class if it applied to any of her lessons. She also invites and encourages parents to visit the classroom whether it be on a regular basis or whenever they can stop in, such as for a field trip. She sends family letters home weekly so that parents can see what is going on in the classroom so that parents are able to ask their children specific questions of what they were doing. This shows the child that the parents truly care about what they are doing in school and therefore are more likely to be invested in the school work as well. When parents volunteer in the classroom they gain specific insights to how their child learns and also the learning community that has been created in the classroom. Positive and frequent interaction between teacher and parent can not only improve the childs achievement, but can also change a parents perception of her or his child (Cowhey, 2006). This relates to another reading from this class. According to Deborah Meier (2003) our schools could better serve families and children if we were clear about what we were and weren't trying to do: our vision or mission (as we call it nowadays), our methods of assessing both individual students and the school, and finally our specific plan of action. (Ideally, families should also have an opportunity to sample what a school looks, sounds, and "tastes" like - not just read what it claims to be.) Families are more willing to get involved when they can see the importance of their involvement. According to Hindin (2010), The role of family in childrens education is unquestionable. Parent involvement is influenced by classroom teachers and their ability to work with families. Examples of home-based experiences include helping children with homework and school-based projects, supporting childrens learning through encouragement and interest, reading with children, and discussing childrens learning. In the study completed in this article, teacher candidates answered surveys by saying that parent communication in special education classrooms was far more prevalent than in general education classrooms. These teacher candidates also states that parent interactions were more negative in urban school settings than in suburban settings. Cowhey, M. (2006). Black ants and buddhists thinking critically and teaching differently in the primary grades. Portland, Me.: Stenhouse Publishers. Hindin, A. (2010). Linking home and school: teacher candidates' beliefs and experiences. School Community Journal, 20(2), 73-90. Meier, D. (2003). So what does it take to build a school for democracy. The H.W. Wilson Company.
Context My field placement is at Welch Elementary in Cincinnati, OH. There are around 400 students at the school from grades Pre-K to 3 rd grade. This is a diverse school with 42.3% white, 41.1% African American, 9.3% multiracial, and 4.8% Hispanic students. 14.4% of the students have disabilities, and 5.3% have limited English proficiency. 56.6% are economically disadvantaged, and the median yearly household income for the area is about $56,991. There is a large difference between the median household income for black households with $39,506 and $60,774 for white households. The average home in the area costs about $141,300, the median individual worker income is $31,387 which is prevalent in this community considering how many families in the school district are single-income families. 46.7 males are employed, and 53.3% of females are employed in the area. From the schools website, I found that their mission statement is: We champion life- long learning, affording all students the knowledge and skills necessary to realize their full potential in life. From the districts website, the vision statement is we will provide quality and innovation in educational programming and instruction, enabling all students to successfully confront the challenges of the future. In my 1 st grade classroom taught by Mrs. Corrie Scheidegger, there is a bright and welcoming environment. The walls are plastered with bright colors and posters that reflect the classroom community. There are 11 girls and nine boys in our classroom currently. There are three students on IEPs and one student who is an English language learner, although he does not receive any special accommodations because he is very proficient. Many of the students get pulled out of the classroom to work on their Math and English with Title I tutors. There are many parents that are involved with the classroom, however there are a few parents that barely have any contact with the teacher. There is one parent who visits the school every day to help with PTO school activities, another parent who works in the lunch room every day, and another parent who comes in to the classroom every day to work with children on their sight words and their reading. Overall, Mrs. Scheidegger has expressed that most parents are involved in their childs schooling and are willing to help in the classroom in any way they can; however the two students that have the behavior issues are the ones whose parents are not involved in the classroom. Mrs. Scheidegger has repeatedly tried to call the parents at all hours of the day with barely any response. Also, only one of the parents came to only one of the parent-teacher conferences throughout the year. When Mrs. Scheidegger talks with them, she says they seem uninterested and arent willing to take the steps necessary to help their child succeed and correct their behavior issues. Most of the parents with students who are on IEPs are all very active in their childs schooling; they get help from tutors on the side, and work extensively with their child at home to finish their work and do extra practice work. There is one parent with a student on an IEP, however, that in years past refused to retain their child even though it was suggested by the Kindergarten general education teacher, the special education teacher, and the principal of the school. Findings My question based on tensions that I have seen at Welch Elementary is: How do we as teacher leaders work with parents to help them get involved in their childs education as well as interested in and willing to work with schools when it comes to behavior issues or learning disabilities? During field I wished to gain information to help me solve these issues as a future teacher leader. I planned to observe parent-teacher interactions through sitting in on any possible meetings that I can. I also interviewed my teacher to see her own ideas about what could be done about these issues that have just not been able to be implemented in the school. Lastly, I listened to other teachers perspectives on the best ways to handle parents who dont seem to value education so that I could hear other professional opinions first-hand. After talking to many teachers about these issues, I have found that the best way to get parents involved is to be persistent. Even though my teacher has tried countless times to get a hold of a few parents that do not get involved in the classroom, she keeps trying, hoping that someday she will get through to them. Sending notes home for the parents is also key. Teachers need to try to be in constant communication with all parents. Also, giving some incentive to the child for talking to their parents and getting them to sign papers or call the teacher can be a major help. It is important to not assume that the parents simply dont care about their child. What I heard from a few teachers was that the parents just dont care, which I believe is not the case in most scenarios. The parents may have issues going on in the home that teachers are not aware of so all teachers need to be respectful of that when asking parents to get involved in the classroom. If the teacher does ever get in touch with the parents, it is important to emphasize how important they are to their childs education. When they view school in a positive light their children will be more likely to view it positively as well. It is especially important for parents to get involved who have students with disabilities or behavior issues. Students are far more motivated when they see their parents getting involved. Also, the parents can give teachers major input because they most likely know their child better than the teacher does. It is important to find a common ground with these parents as well. An example that I saw during my field of this tension improving was when I observed a parent- teacher conference between my teacher and the mother of one of the students in my class. Throughout the entire year, Mrs. Scheidegger had a lot of trouble getting through to this mother. This particular student had no documented disability, but the mother believes the child is dyslexic. Although she put work in to helping her child outside of the classroom, she refused to accept that her child may need to repeat the first grade based on her ability level compared to the other children. She had refused to retain this student in Kindergarten even though it was strongly suggested to her by teachers and administrators. Throughout the year Mrs. Scheidegger would continually send notes home with work showing the lack in the students progress. After meeting several times with no luck, the time I was in this conference was finally the right time for her to decide to retain her daughter. Mrs. Scheidegger showed data to the mother and put the information in to words that she could easily understand. She tried to relate to the mother expressing that she understands that this is a difficult decision, however it would be very difficult for this student to succeed in the second grade. This persistence was the key for my teacher so that she was able to show the parent how much she cared for this student. Discussion After researching my inquiry both through my field experience and through the literature review I have found that parental involvement is one of the most important factors for a child to succeed in school. It takes a lot of work by the teacher to ensure all students families are welcome and involved in the classroom, but it is essential for a students achievement in school. As a future teacher leader, I will strive to involve all families in my classroom. When I feel there is a disconnect between myself and families, I will try to relate to them on a personal level to gain trust in our relationship, and I will be persistent in showing families how important they are to their child. I will also keep an open line of communication always between families and myself. Lastly, I will help other teachers struggling with this issue by showing them support in any way I can so they know and understand the value in parent participation and involvement in the classroom.