Teachers play a
pivotal role in involving families in learning
A newsletter
describing what students are studying in class this week, a phone call
when something out of the ordinary happens, and welcoming classroom
environment for parents. It's these routine things that great teachers
do that encourage families to be involved in their children's learning
and in their children's classrooms and schools.
It
was this welcoming classroom environment and an invitation from the
principal that hooked Carol Johnson's interest in getting involved at
Armatage Elementary School in Minneapolis. Parents were always greeted
with open arms by Joy Bartlett, her son Charlie's first-grade teacher.
"She was always open to parents enriching kids through their own interests,
including both jobs and hobbies," said Johnson.
"One
family helped the kids prepare special food for Hanukkah celebration.
Another father was a pilot who arranged a field trap at Northwest Airlines.
When the parents are invested I their children's education, the kids
are proud, the whole class benefits, and it's a win-win situation,"
says Johnson, who reported that at Bartlett's invitation, one father
has served as the annual school carnival chairman for five years.
Bartlett
learned the value of family involvement from her mother, who was the
first African-American teacher in the state of Minnesota. "She really
believed in getting parents to help," recalls Bartlett fondly and proudly.
The relationships she developed with families lasted until her just
before her death, when she was visited in the hospital but then-Sate
Treasurer Jim Lord and his father Judge Miles lord, as well as former
U.S. Vice President Hubert Humphrey, who was instrumental in getting
Joy's mother her first teaching job.
Creating
a comfort level in the classroom is one of the most important factors
in encouraging the love of learning, according to Bartlett, who says
children are enormously influenced by the attitude of their families
toward school. "How is that project coming? What are you spelling words?"
She says these are the questions families committed to education routinely
ask their children, and they are questions that make a difference in
their students; achievements.
Another
way families can make a significant impact on their children's learning
without even stepping through the schoolhouse door is to support a daily
homework routine. When Johnson's three sons get off the bus they have
a snack with their mother and then settle down to do their homework
at the kitchen table. Johnson's oldest son, Sam, has Down syndrome,
so she often works with him one-on-one. Her son, Charlie, who is in
second grade now, is self-starter, so Johnson merely has to review this
homework. And although her son, Jack, is in the gifted program at school,
he needs organizational help. "I'm his taskmaster," laughs Johnson.
Before bedtime, Johnson reads with the boys. Sometimes the older ones
read their own books, but they all enjoy this predictable time together.
Johnson's
involvement at school has evolved from participation in Book Nook, a
program that encourages parents to read their children's classes from
time to time, to serving for two years as PTA president of Armatage.
Her volunteer work outside the classroom was prompted by a call from
the school principal. "My experience is that if someone makes a call
to invite parents to volunteer, 95 percent of them respond positively,"
Johnson said. Generally, just asking parents to show up doesnĖt work
very well, she adds. "When they get a call to do a specific job, with
specific job, with specific instructions, they are more likely to participate
successfully."
Key
role of a school principal
Principals
play a key role in family involvement by showing appreciation, according
to Johnson. She says the Armatage principal, Joan Franks, does a good
job of identifying school needs and ways to get them accomplished with
the help of parents. And she uses her biweekly newsletter as a way to
publicly thank parents for their support of the school.
Franks
says she sees the role of the principal in promoting family involvement
as threefold. "First, it's my job to provide opportunities and ways
to get families actively involved in the school," she said. "Secondly,
it's my job to help create a welcoming environment and treat families
in such a way while they're here that they want to come back. Last,
I make sure they know they're appreciated and valued. During our student
of the month program, I ask students to give families a round of applause
because they can't be successful without their families' support."
In
today's fast-paced world, many parents have a tough time spending time
at their children's schools. "If they can't come to school, they can
make it a point to be excited about the work that comes home," says
Tartlet. "Display is on the fridge, and share it with Grandma and Grandpa."
Bartlet
is so committed to including families in her students' learning that
she publicizes her home phone number in her class newsletter. Sometimes
she gets several calls a week; sometimes she doesn't get any. Usually,
there's a quick questions about homework, but sometimes calls last more
than a half-hour when there's a problem with a student.
"I'm
like an old-fashioned doctor on call," she says. "Most parents respect
my time at home. In the long run, these phone calls save time by preventing
miscommunication. You can clarify so much in a single conversation."
"Parents
know their children so well, they can provide important clues to teachers
for improving learning and to what's going on at home or on the playground
that may be keeping students from doing their best work," say Bartlet.
"Communication regularly with parents speeds my teaching by leaps and
bounds.
"Kids
love to please their parents, and they know when parents and teachers
have a bridge through communication. This is especially helpful for
kids who are having trouble with behavior. I often tell those children
that "I know you Mom and Dad want you to do your best."
All
kids benefit by having caring adults involved in the work of their schools
and involved with their schoolwork at home. And the job of teachers
and principals, according to Bartlet and Franks, is to create a welcoming
atmosphere that is as Tartlet puts it "like a neon sign flashing."
