Parent Involvement
As seen through my teaching philosophy, I believe that communication is key! Having an open line of communication with parents is critical so that they are aware of what is going on in their child's education. The more communication there is between a teacher and a parent, the more success a student can have. Below are ways that I communicate with parents throughout the year.
Parent Conferences: I contact parents regularly throughout the quarter to update them on their child's progress or any concerns I might have. I like to set up conferences with parents to discuss the positives I see with their children in my classroom and the improvements they can make whether that be in specific subjects or concerning behavior.
Parent Workshops: Each month at Woodlawn Community School my mentor teacher and I would hold parent workshops. At these workshops, parents would be able to come in and ask questions about what students are learning at this time. We also had a focus for each workshop where we would teach the parents a certain skill that their child would be working on (e.g.: extended responses for both math and reading, book reports, math concepts, etc.). We would show them a finished product and go through, step-by-step, what their child would need to do to complete the assignment.
Parent Correspondence: I write notes home regularly to a few parents in my classroom whose children need added support. The notes home consist of explaining how their child has improved on behavior and the positives that I saw specifically in one day. I also regularly email parents and tutors to give updates on how certain students are doing in subject areas where they struggle. I give them supplemental activities they can do at home to continue working with them to build these skills as well.