During my field experience at the first school I observed, I noticed that the parents are always in the classroom working collaboratively with the teachers. They were so involved that whenever there is a holiday event, they are the ones to decorate and prepare the venue for the event. The families are highly involved and the school created an atmosphere for them to feel welcome. I had the opportunity to observed a Thanksgiving event that took place for the families, and I must admit that the parents all looked happy and appreciative of what the school did for them. Additionally, the families that the school served are predominantly Hispanic with the majority of the families speak Spanish only. To help these families learn the English language,
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We all know the importance of effective communication as it is the most important step in reaching out to families. Communicating and reaching out to families on a regular basis will aid in creating more involved parents, which in return create more academically successful children. When communicating with families, one should always keep in mind the diversity of each family. Sometimes we as educators are faced with the challenge of working with families from cultures different from our own, therefore, we will try to avoid misunderstandings based on cultural differences. Elberly et al mentioned that “when families and educators can communicate openly, there is a better chance that this will lead to increased social capital, which then leads to common understandings and expectations about the best ways to help children learn” (p.2). This is why we will make sure that the school in general, and parents are engaged in regular, two-way communication about school programs, student progress, and student needs, in a language and format that provides equal access for all participants. Moreover, we will also encourage our families to serve as volunteers in our classrooms. Having families serving as volunteers in the classroom do so much for the students as well as the families themselves. When families volunteer in classrooms, it sends out a positive message to the students and everyone benefits from the experience. A quote by Coleman (2013) affirms that everyone benefits when families volunteer in the classroom. The children benefit tremendously from having their parents in the classroom; the families themselves benefit by gaining confidence in their ability to contribute to the education of their children, and teachers benefit from becoming more familiar with families (p.
We all know the importance of effective communication as it is the most important step in reaching out to families. Communicating and reaching out to families on a regular basis will aid in creating more involved parents, which in return create more academically successful children. When communicating with families, one should always keep in mind the diversity of each family. Sometimes we as educators are faced with the challenge of working with families from cultures different from our own, therefore, we will try to avoid misunderstandings based on cultural differences. Elberly et al mentioned that “when families and educators can communicate openly, there is a better chance that this will lead to increased social capital, which then leads to common understandings and expectations about the best ways to help children learn” (p.2). This is why we will make sure that the school in general, and parents are engaged in regular, two-way communication about school programs, student progress, and student needs, in a language and format that provides equal access for all participants. Moreover, we will also encourage our families to serve as volunteers in our classrooms. Having families serving as volunteers in the classroom do so much for the students as well as the families themselves. When families volunteer in classrooms, it sends out a positive message to the students and everyone benefits from the experience. A quote by Coleman (2013) affirms that everyone benefits when families volunteer in the classroom. The children benefit tremendously from having their parents in the classroom; the families themselves benefit by gaining confidence in their ability to contribute to the education of their children, and teachers benefit from becoming more familiar with families (p.