Connecting with families and the community!

If you are looking to develop more of a partnership in learning with your families and the local community, please look to my vision in developing this critical partnership and ideas to get you and your school started.

Vision for Partnership

•I envision Teachers, Parents and Community members working together to foster the education of all of our students.

•A school needs to establish a culture of respect and an environment that promotes learning.

•Parents and Community Members need to feel welcome in the school.

•Parents and Community Members can be a great resource for schools to enhance the learning that is taking place within the school day and after.

•“At the heart of all successful partnerships are successful relationships.” (Johnston, J. H., 2009, p.24)

Proposed Activities/Strategies

•Establish a Parent Room where parents feel welcome, and have resources to help them with their student.

•Homework Help Night with Parents-Teachers could model a lesson/multi-step Math problem and students and parents could work together on the problems.  This would help to build more confidence when parents try to help their child and can enhance communication.

•Cultural Affair – Celebrate diversity in school, all feel welcome, incorporate history, language, and cultures. Parents and students need to feel a connection with their school, teachers, and staff should make an effort to celebrate the diversity in their schools.  It is important that we engage parents in a two-way dialogue that imparts no judgment to establish a respectful and trusting relationship. (Eberly, J. L., Joshi, A., & Konzal, J, 2007, p.23)

•Community Wide Event – Community members, parents, and Teachers work together, learn about their environment, solve problems together and utilize the resources all stakeholders bring to the table.

Happy Teaching and Connecting!

•Eberly, J. L., Joshi, A., & Konzal, J. (2007). Communicating with families across   cultures: An investigation of teacher perceptions and practices. School   Community Journal, 17(2), 7-26.

•Johnston, J. H. (2009). Dancing partners: Schools & businesses. School   Administrator, 66(9), 24-28.