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Building Family/School Partnerships: What NOT TO DO (Edition 2)
By Tobi Kibel Piatek | March 3, 2009
Last term I provided a list of suggestions from course students on WHAT NOT TO DO when your goal is to create a classroom community where kids and parents feel comfortable and included.
This semester, students once again have shown their creativity, cultural competence and caring – this list is well worth sharing, and reading.
1. Don’t pick on/embarrass the students
2. Don’t show favoritism
3. Don’t encourage bad behavior by laughing
4. Don’t lose your temper or yell
5. Don’t speak of personal problems or gossip while in the classroom
6. Don’t ever make a child feel silly for asking a question
7. Don’t always say don’t, try to always say positive words
8. Don’t speak of “certain” student’s needs in front of other students
9. Don’t ignore parent helpers – and their ability to contribute to your classroom
10. Don’t underestimate parental involvement from working class or non-traditional families
11. Don’t ever be “too busy” to help a child
12. Don’t ignore students’ past achievements
13. Don’t overvalue the significance of a student’s income level
14. Don’t have/encourage unrealistic expectations for students
15. Don’t forget to build trust
16. Don’t assume parents aren’t involved with their child’s education
17. Don’t let the “business as usual” type of mentality get in the way of helping parents get involved with the school or with their child’s learning.
18. Don’t get demoralized by the negatives out there, though there is much work that needs to be done, there are a lot of teachers, parents, and students doing incredible things,
19. Don’t use stereotypes while communicating about ANY student.
20. Don’t be afraid of confrontations with parents for problem solving.
21. Don’t hesitate when asking parents to volunteer for school activities.
22. Don’t let the summer fly by without keeping your children’s minds active- read, go to museums, zoos, play games. (Teachers and mentors, Don’t forget to send lists of ideas home to families.)
23. Don’t pass up the Internet as only a place where kids play games or waste time. Steer parents and kids toward educational sites.
24. Don’t disappear at your child’s school. Introduce yourself!
25. Don’t wait to be invited to participate in your child’s education.
26. Don’t pass up invitations to attend school events.
27. Don’t judge students based on what others of their same culture have a tendency to do. And don’t underestimate the importance of culture in every life
28. Don’t get frustrated if a student’s English level is so low that you have to keep repeating and rephrasing the same things in order to get your message across.
29. Don’t rush; mistakes can be easily made.
30. Don’t get too close to students in a personal way; this makes relationships blurry and you less subjective.
31. Don’t correct students in a reprimanding way..always rephrase to be constructive.
32. Don’t try and handle a situation on your own when you feel uneasy.
33. Don’t neglect a student’s home culture or history. It plays a huge part in their decisions and plans.
34. Don’t forget that students may be stressed with school and may have problems at home that are affecting their academic success.
35. Don’t forget to offer extra help than what the student is asking for; sometimes we have to do a little extra fishing.
36. Don’t tell others about problems your students come to you with. Everything should be kept confidential
Topics: Creating a Positive, Family Involvement |
March 11th, 2009 at 11:00 am
Listening is the most important action skill you can have.
Learning exactly what helps them to get the most out of their learning experience. What exactly is their learning style.
I am not sure if I am posting properly bare with me. I need to get it going so here it goes.
Ask them how they are doing, show an interest. When soemone would actually show me they cared it made me feel better.
Say one thing positive no matter what it is or how little it is. I remember when the principle came to me in 6th grade and mentioned that I would make a great leader and that kids liked me, and that it was up to me to make a positive difference, something like that, all I remember is saying I was a leader, I still remember that.
Get on their level, if their little get down on your knees or sit in a chair. I get a better connection with kids when I am down on their level.
Get involved no matter how big or how small. My son is finally doing better because I am involved and not just dropping him off at school and disappearing. Which I love to do, just disappear sometimes.