Relevance of a Stronger Parent Community

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/creating-strong-parent-community-marisa-kaplan?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EdutopiaNewContent+%28Edutopia%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

I agree with this newsfeed hosted by Edutopia that “teaching can be a complicated profession” (Kaplan, 2011). In fact, I was just thinking today how amazing it is that one of the lowest paying professions has some of the highest standards to adhere to. Nevertheless, it makes a significant difference when you have parental support. Parents have to feel welcomed however and must be frequently invited to take part in their child’s education. Many times it is assumed parents are not concerned or interested in teacher conferences or school involvement when the fact remains a number of them are often times intimidated or fear the worst.

As educators, it is important to treat parents as guest and pull out the welcoming mats in the classroom just as we would guests who are visiting our home. Frequent contact is also important and not just in the form of a progress report or report card. Too, contact should not be made only when there’s negative information to share. All too often, communication is made when negative behaviors need to be reported yet positive behaviors are rarely communicated to parents. One thing I’ve tried to do in the past few years to create a stronger parent community is to send out electronic communications to parents with a subject line: Positive Message from Teacher. This has worked extremely well for me in increasing parental support and building rapport with parents. I also invite parents to join our class wiki space to stay abreast of course requirements, deadlines, and updates which gives them a sense of belonging. Lastly, I welcome parents to visit and observe my classroom at any time with or without notice. One aspect I am looking to implement in the very near future as a result of blogging is a weblog for parents to express concerns, questions, thoughts, or ideas concerning the course, and also provide the opportunity to collaborate with other parents in the course.  

Needless to say, a stronger parent community or the lack thereof influences student achievement. On a personal note, I think I honestly had to become a mother first and a teacher second because being a parent helps me to think along the lines of a parent first and a teacher second. Can you share some examples of how you create a stronger parent community?