I again had observed in the Elementary and Preschool classrooms. There was more playing going on in the preschool room than the Kindergarten room. I watched the children during their free play time. There were some playing on the computers, there was a group of boys were playing with the blocks building ramps and airports to go with their cars and trucks.There was a group of girls who were playing in the play dough. This time of the year the classrooms are busy with getting ready for the holidays. It is fun to see the children filled with excitement over the holidays.
While I was observing the preschool room the teacher had a few moments to sit down and talk with me about how she engages her families into her program and how she advocates for them.
How do you engage your families in what you are doing in your preschool program?
What I do is I send home notes or weekly newsletters to let my families know what we have done during the week in Reading,Science, and Math. Also I include what special projects that we may have done during the week. This might include cooking during our science lessons. I also have to make home visits and this is another way for me to get to know the families better and I can get more of an idea of what is going on in the children and families lives.
How I advocate for my families is that if I see that there is a need that needs to be addressed I will make contact with the parents by either a note or a phone call depending on the severity of the situation. If there is a need for further observation I will contact another specialist and a meeting will be set up. My role in these meetings is to be the speaker for the child and also the parents. I feel that I need to stand up to get the best education for that child.
I was able to be there when some parents were coming in to pick up their children after school.. I introduced myself to them and asked them if they were comfortable answering my questions.
Do you feel that the teachers of your program make efforts to engage you in what is going on in your child's classroom?
Yes, I feel that my child's teacher does a great job of informing us of what is going on. She does a great job of making us feel welcomed into the classroom.
Another parent that I spoke to did not have quite the same answer as the other parent. They felt that the teacher did not make an effort to help them feel engaged.
What I have found that happens with parents alot is, yes the teacher puts forth that effort but the parents do not always see the notes the child brings home.
Sometimes children who ride the bus may take their notes out of their bag on the way home and it doesn't get put back into the bag. I know that sometimes parents also get too busy to empty out their child's folder every night.
It is up to the teacher to make sure that they are doing their job to get parents involved into education. It is also the parents job to keep up with what is going on in the classroom, especially when the child is young and has not learned the responsibility to give parents notes and letters.
The principal also sends out a weekly note to the parents to let parents know what is going on every week in school. I talked with the principal and she told me that their are staff meetings that they have each week to talk and discuss what is going on in the school and they brainstorm on ways that they can reach out to families. The goal of the school is for the children and their education.
If the teachers are not reaching out to their students and advocating for them, the who will?
