-
Provide one or two examples of new ways you might include parents by allowing them to use their skill sets.
-
I can see what the parents are good at doing and see where I can use them at(guest speakers, readers, etc).
-
Having parents volunteer in the classroom to teach on their area of expertise or talk about their vocation brings parents into the school and makes them central in the classroom. I liked Dr. Black’s idea about a coffee shop in the school, creating a warm gathering space where parents and teachers and casually bump into each other and interact.
-
I think it might be helpful to create a survey at the beginning of the year to find out how families like to spend their time, what hobbies they enjoy, what creative skills they may have etc. In this way, it would give us valuable information to get to know the families better so that when volunteer opportunities come up, we can reach out with specific requests if we know the parents have certain abilities that could help out.
-
This is a question that I need to be asking myself more often. It is so easy to stay focused on my students and every day tasks that I forget to include parents throughout the year in my classroom. Over the summer, one of my goals is to make a conscious effort to plan specific ways that parents can be involved in the learning process in my classroom. I want the parents of my students to be involved in meaningful ways throughout the school year, not just in voluntary roles. This is definitely an area I want to grow in.
-
I would like to incorporate a “parents day” where they are able to come in early on in the year to meet everyone, build more of a community feel. Let them get to know each other, explain a little of their background so other students can get an idea where they peers come from as well. I think this will also allow students to see diversity.