Saturday, July 20, 2013
Parent, Family, and Community Engagement
The videos viewed this week gave the reminder that parents are a child's first teacher. When families and teachers can work together for the betterment of the children involved all will benefit. Through community involvement which provides services to families as well as additional means of support for teachers, tie all of those immediately involved with the children we teach together. On a professional level if families, communities, and teachers work together for the betterment of children, the learning opportunities a child experiences could be endless. On a personal level in my classroom I have always tried to keep lines of communication open and parents involved. As I am learning more about advocating for children, the reminders given through the testimonies this week, if I can get parents, families, and community members to be a part of my classroom, then I could get them 'on board' in support of an issue I am advocating for thus increasing the voices behind the issue. All parties benefit in multiple ways when we work together for the children in our lives.
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Heidi,
ReplyDeleteThe thing that stood out to me as I watch different videos while they each had a little different story there was one consistent aspect, which was the relationship between the parent, child and teacher. Relationships are the foundation to high quality teaching. If early childhood teachers could master the art of working with parents and getting them involved they would be successful at teaching children. While I know that they must have other skills to be an effective teacher they first must create a foundational relationship with the child and family.
I also agree with you that if we can get parents involved in the classroom and the education of their children in early childhood we can lay the foundation for them to remain involved in their child's education throughout life.
Parent involvement is a great tool for early childhood advocates because the parents have the real life testimonies about the value of the program on their child and their own life. Head Start is very effective at equipping families with the tools they need to become effective advocates. The one story that stood out for me the mom shared she learned the tools to be able to share the Head Start message with the city council. What a great way to advocate!
Jill
Heidi,
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I have noticed with the parents I work with, is that when they are getting their child started in the Head Start programs they are just as excited as the child is. Unfortunately, when the family begins with Head start my role in the family's home ends and we often do not get to keep in touch like we would like. My hope is that the excitement that is there in the beginning remains and fuels the family's involvement throughout the child's education. I think your idea of bringing families into the classroom as possible is a great way to keep that excitement level going for both the parents and the child. Even if the parent is just coming in for an hour and spending time to play with the children, it can make all the difference.
Great Post! I agree with you that getting everyone involved like parents, community members, and families will have a great influence on children. I think the saying "it takes a village to raise a child" is true and is what is lacking in our society today. The village is needed and educators can are great bridge to rebuilding the village.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you about communication with parents being very important. I am also a teacher and I have it difficult to relate to the children if their parents aren't open to communicating with me. This also makes it hard for to teach them too. Good Post.
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