As someone who works at a school that is predominantly Hispanic, I understood many of the reasons talked about in Samway & McKeon article "Involving Parents and the Community" for why it may be that some parents don't show up for parent teacher conferences. A huge problem that was brought up in this article was the language barrier. A good majority of teachers in America, or at least in Kansas, speak mainly English. Well, a good chunk of our students only speak Spanish at home, so the problem may be that parents don't feel comfortable talking to any school staff.
Teachers call home and invite parents to visit for conferences, but it can be intimidating or inconvenient for parents on many different levels. When parents don't answer phone calls or come to talk to us about our student, we think "they just don't care", and that simply isn't true. Along with the language factor, the authors of this article point to other reasons that may cause parents to not have much contact with teachers. Lack of child care for children that would have to stay home is a real reason that many parents wouldn't be able to make a meeting that a teacher set up. Work hours may also be a huge factor in finding it difficult to meet. No access to transportation is another factor that may be getting in the way. And finally, it may be that parents who primarily speak a language other than English may not be literate in English, and properly translated information is not being provided to them. There are steps that can be taken to fix or accommodate all of these situations, and it is important to keep them in mind when communicating with students' parents.
My favorite point brought up in this article is that we can help parents feel more welcome when we include them in the school and the classroom. This means coming up with some seriously cool and creative ways to make them feel, no matter their cultural or social status, like they have a place in the classroom. Setting up a conference environment in which their most comfortable language is encourage is one step towards this. Providing translators in many different language could seem difficult, but it is important for effective and meaningful conversations with parents. Letting students show their parents around and talking to their families in their first language is also a way to built that comfort. Finally, looking towards parents as a resource for knowledge is could be extremely valuable. Whether it be encouraging families and students to talk about their cultures or way of life, or finding out family professions and hobbies that can be used to set up workshops to teach student something new.
I think the most important thing in bridging the gap between home and school is making the students and their families feel as comfortable as possible, and I'm excited about finding ways to do just that.
Great response! I also come from a school thats mostly Hispanic and many of my kids are ELL. When talking to them, its obvious how important culture and family is to them. Knowing that, it is important to bring both culture and family into the classroom! I agree that we need to get creative for how to include them. I know the elementary school next to my school has bingo night to include the parents, it may be a little childish for secondary school. Maybe we could help them celebrate cultural holidays like Cinco de Mayo? I don't know, just a thought! Thanks for your thoughtful and helpful response!
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of a bingo night. It can be a really fun and free way for families to get out of the house and do something together. It makes me wonder, with school funding problems, how often events like this could be done. Because I'd love to see them all the time!
DeleteI really like the idea of a classroom newsletter that I could send home to let parents know what's going on in the classroom. I could even let students contribute to the newsletter. I'm not sure what the cost of something like that would be, or how to provide translations just yet, but it's an idea I'm excited about. One I sorted through the logistics of something like this, I suppose it would be good to do it monthly. To me, that doesn't seem like too much or too little. I also think that phone calls home are really important, but I see it happen so much for repetitive behavior problems, that I worry it's more of an annoyance for the parents to be constantly hearing from the teachers, and it's not doing much good.
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas, Miss Doolittle. Don't forget about the power of POSITIVE phone calls home. I made a habit of this in my teaching, and it was such a treat to call my students' parents or guardians and let them know something positive their child had accomplished that day or week. They are an easy and quick way to reach out and build relationships.
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