Part One: Reflection on Topics

After engaging with the resources provided this week, I have come to recognize the importance of building relationships with not only the students, but with their families and relatives as well. It is important to look beyond academics; educators must learn who their students are on an individual, personal level, to ensure that their academic and socio-emotional needs are being fulfilled. It is crucial to also connect with families and collaborate with them. Through meeting and talking with the families, teachers can learn more about their students, and can even come together with the families to ensure that the student is setting proper academic goals and reaching them accordingly. The connection with the students and their families creates a strong, safe, and inclusive environment, where opinions can be shared, and voices will be heard. 

In March, I had the opportunity to attend a Board of Education meeting in the Long Beach district. The meeting began and it touched exactly upon this idea of a united community, as it started with a video montage of all the students, teachers, families, and community members, highlighting the notion of confronting biases, celebrating diversity, and fostering a sense of belonging. This to me proved how involved everyone is in the school community, and how close knit they have become because of their desire to want to engage with students and families. Furthermore, throughout the meeting, the board members would show their appreciation to the students, congratulating them on sports games won, or shows produced at the school. It was endearing to see how involved everyone is, from the students to their parents, and even the board members. Everyone focuses on uplifting the other, showcasing their strengths, and helping if any weaknesses were to arise. 

Now delving specifically into the videos and articles presented, the resources provided very valuable insights into how and why to connect with families. One article, written by Lydia Breiseth, gives tips on how to communicate with ELL/MLL families, including prioritizing the preferred method of communication of families and having a translator available to assist in the communication process (2021). I related to this article personally, as growing up I was an MLL student and oftentimes it was difficult for my parents to connect and communicate with my teachers. Had they been given the resources, in a language they understood, they would have been more involved in my education and in my school community. Another article mentioned various manners in which educators can build strong, meaningful, and lasting relationships with parents. Some of the tips which I would want to implement are inviting parents to share their opinions and experiences, to clearly state your educational and instructional goals to the parents, and sharing the student’s successes and accomplishments (Aguilar, 2011). For the video, I chose to watch Education nation – putting parents to work in the classroom, which moves away from discussing how educators can reach out to now explain how parents themselves can participate in schools. Through specific programs, parents can come into the classroom and become aids, helping students who may need additional support and helping the teachers address all the students’ needs (“NBC today show”, 2012).

Part Two: Plan to Engage with Families

As a future educator, I plan to incorporate a variety of tools in order to engage and communicate with my students’ families. One method is to utilize technology to connect with parents, using different platforms to reach out and give them updates on their child’s academic progress (Pescatore, 2014). A particular mobile app which I may use in my classroom is ParentSquare, whose main focus is to bridge together schools/districts and families, allowing the parents to be involved (Engel, 2024). Through the app, teachers and other faculty can send announcements for parents to see, alerts concerning any changes happening within the school, a calendar section which displays all the upcoming events, and even a message tab in which parents and teachers can message each other throughout the day and communicate regarding the student. Additionally, after reading an article about the importance of reaching out to parents regarding good news about their child and positive behaviors, I think it would be vital to use ParentSquare to message parents throughout the day to talk positively about the student and their progress (Aguilar, 2015). I would like to incorporate what I would call “Peak of the Week”, where every Friday, parents receive a message talking about the positive things that occurred in the classroom that week, and even attach pictures showing how their child engaged and completed activities. 

Lastly, on top of engaging with families, I want to create a close bond with the student as well, letting them know that I am here for them and will always be wishing the best for them. I recognize the importance of creating meaningful relationships with my students and being a support system for them. Tactics I hope to implement are attending their extracurricular activities if possible, using it to not only converse and get to know the families but also to show my students that I am involved in their growth and development as individuals (Provenzano, 2014). I also want to hold safe spaces for them, which can be as simple as having them meet with me during their lunch breaks. At the end of the day, educators have to believe in their students, their potential, and highlight their strengths, in order to encourage them and let them recognize that they have an entire community rooting for them. 

References:

Aguilar, E. (2011, September 23). 20 Tips for Developing Positive Relationships with Parents. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/20-tips-developing-positive-relationships-parents-elena-aguilar

Aguilar, E. (2015, August 7). The power of the Positive Phone Call Home. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/power-positive-phone-call-home-elena-aguilar  

Breiseth, L. (2021, August). Communicating with ELL Families: 10 Strategies for Schools. National Education Association. https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/tools-tips/communicating-ell-families-10-strategies

Engel, K. (2024, January 11). Building bridges: Empowering families to support their child’s learning. ParentSquare. https://www.parentsquare.com/blog/building-bridges-empowering-families-to-support-their-childs-learning/  

Lively and active city – map design. iStock. (n.d.). https://www.istockphoto.com/vector/lively-and-active-city-gm492817203-40624308  

NBC today show: Education nation – putting parents to work in the classroom. YouTube. (2012, September 25). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubo6L0qQv6Q&list=PLvzOwE5lWqhRPzheyprYHcA8SZl9Qvnpz&index=3  

Pescatore, G. (2014, August 27). Parent communication toolbox. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/parent-communication-toolbox-gwen-pescatore  

Provenzano, N. (2014, February 24). 3 ways to make meaningful connections with your students. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/make-meaningful-connections-with-students-nick-provenzano