Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

By Kris Jenkins

This book is brought about by thirty-eight years of classroom experience. It is imperative to form relationships with the families of our students. This will give the future generation the best possible opportunities, moving forward. Who knows our students best? Their families! We need to partner with our families to provide the best possible education for each student, based on their unique learning needs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: May 31, 2022
• ISBN: 9781684980420

Book preview

Copyright © 2022 Kris Jenkins

All rights reserved

First Edition

NEWMAN SPRINGS PUBLISHING

320 Broad Street

Red Bank, NJ 07701

First originally published by Newman Springs Publishing 2022

ISBN 978-1-68498-041-3 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-68498-042-0 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

To Mrs. Maxine Moore, my second-grade teacher. Mrs. Moore epitomized what teaching should be. She was my teacher when my father’s plane went down in Vietnam. Her kindness, caring, and empathy is something I strive for in my daily interactions with my students!

Introduction

Engaging the families is a particularly important piece of every child’s education. In order to achieve the best possible results for our students, there must be a very strong connection with the families and the communities that each school serves. It is important to partner with families in order to get the most from students learning; however, it is also a key component in each teacher’s well-being and success as a teacher. When partnering with the families of our students, students excel both academically and socially. Research tells us the following:

Student’s grades go up.

Attendance is more regular.

Students are more likely to enroll in higher-level learning opportunities.

Students are more likely to graduate and attend postsecondary learning opportunities.

Students are more excited about coming to school.

Fewer discipline issues both inside and outside of school.

A strengthened bond between families, the school, and the communities the school serves.

Families are a key resource for teachers. After all, they know their children better than teachers could ever hope to. Teachers need to be asking more about their students from families and building on their knowledge of the intricacies of how best to teach that child. For families, they have hope and dreams for their children and only want what is best for them. They’re dying to tell you, if you would only ask them!

Sometimes, some families aren’t sure how to approach the teachers. It may feel awkward to them or perhaps intimidated by the difference in levels of education between themselves and the teachers. There could be a language barrier. You could have families with varying cultural norms. Families coming to schools from poverty and low-income families. We must have the knowledge and the resources to help these families. We need to make families feel as though they are a part of their student’s team. We need to involve the families in decision-making and guide them in how to be the best advocate for their child. We need to always assume positive intent on the part of the families of our students. Nearly all families only want what is best for their kids. If our approach is that we all want what is best for the student, how can we possibly go wrong? The responsibility for cultivating these relationships between home and family rests solely in the laps of the school, primarily the classroom teachers.

In order to facilitate two-way communication, we need to ask parents what their preferred method of communication is. Do they want emails, newsletters, group texts, social media notifications (private class Facebook page or class Twitter account)? What works best for them? Then, teachers need a method to track those contacts. I use a parent contact log that is attached to the inside of each child’s folder. I log each and every contact with that family. In addition, I call those families every other week, whether I need to or not. Half the class one week. The other half the following week. Just to check in. Could this be construed as annoying by some families? Perhaps, though I have not had one complaint. We share knowledge and ideas frequently.

In a previous district where I worked, we had a very high international population. Both the military base and the school district had interpreters, as well as host families for these visiting families. The host families accompany the international families to everything school-related: Back-to-School Night, family activities, class parties, and even parent/teacher conferences. Honestly, it was empowering to be a part of this network of support.

If there isn’t, there should be a listing of community support and what those organizations can do for the families we serve. In my school district, we have a book of resources. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve used this key piece of reference material to help out families! Just last year, I had a little guy diagnosed with leukemia. I gave the family the contact information for our county’s cancer council. The family told me that this was a huge support to them as they navigated the difficult waters around having their child diagnosed with cancer. Everyone goes through a difficult time. If we are able to give families a list of local agencies that can help them in times of uncertainty, that helps to foster even a stronger bond between families, the school, and even the community. We must provide families with the support that they so desperately need. Each school building should have some kind of listing of the agencies within their area and what those agencies can do to help our families.

Family dynamics are drastically changing. No longer is the male figure the sole provider for the family while the female stays home and cares for the home and the children. Those days are long gone. Now both mom and dad hold down jobs, and in some instances, even that is not enough to sustain the family. Teachers need to be aware of the family struggles and have knowledge of the agencies that can help the family stay afloat.

With this change in dynamics, also comes a change in the function of the household. Mom and Dad come home from work, exhausted, have to make dinner for the family, bathe the kids, and get them in bed. There is very little time for family-bonding activities. Then throw into the mix extracurricular activities! I would argue that most of our students don’t get the required amount of sleep each night.

The components of family engagement include the following:

The family. Families are the foundation for their children. They are their child’s safe place. Families provide nurturing and stable environments for their children. Families provide pertinent information to the schools about their child.

The child. They should be, but sometimes are not, progressing normally in the areas of language, physical indicators, social and emotional wellness, health, and general growth and development.

The school: Schools should be providing the children who attend