How to Help
A Principal’s Ideas to Strengthen the Family/School Partnership
By Tobi Kibel Piatek | Friday, August 22nd, 2008
Thank you to Jared Cordon, Principal at Fir Grove Elementary School in Beaverton for these ideas. I heard Jared speak, with Susan McKinney, Principal of McKinley Elementary School, at the Beaverton Diversity Summit. To learn more about this event, and you can find the brochure online at http://www.beaverton.k12.or.us/pdf/ins/ins_2008%20Diversity%20Summit%20Program.pdf
The theme of the talk I listened to was Honoring Cultures by Honoring Our Families. These are some of the ways that Mr. Condon strengthens the Family/School Partnership in his school. He was kind enough to allow me to share his ideas on this blog. These are his words edited for space and clarity:
Home Visits: Everyday I would recieve a list of students who had been absent more than two days without an acceptable excuse (sickness, vacation, etc). I would visit the family, meet the parents, bring the school assignments the child missed, talk to the parents about the importance of education in their child’s life, and problem-solve ways to get the students to school and the parents involved. I tried to follow-up with parents periodically and find good news to report to them regarding their child - to positively reinforce the fact that the child does well in school - no matter how difficult it is for some parents to get them there.
Parent Nights: These nights were targeted toward educating parents around best practice strategies. We asked parents what they wanted to know more about and asked teachers what areas their students needed more work in. Attendance (at these events) increased dramatically throughout the school year. We always provided a full dinner and tried to have extras to send home with families. (NOTES: Baja Fresh and Noodles were wonderful to work with. We spent about $4300 on food. The PTO was a great help. Attendance figures for the 07-08 school year Parent Nights increased from 20 at the first, to 41, then 72, 151, 219, 286, 423 and about ONE THOUSAND at the Community celebration at the end of the school year!!!!)
Teaching in Apartments: At Fir Grove Elementary, all of our Somali families lived in one large apartment complex. We went to them. Parent education forums, teaching their children. (Thanks to the Welcome Center for providing a translator.) We had huge results. Some tips - always have food and books for the families. Consider their basic needs.) A side benefit of these ‘apartment nights” was that great networking and support began to develop among the families who met through these meetings.
SOME ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS: When the goal is strengthening the Family/School Partnership:
- Think Outside the Box - Think adaptively. It is easier to react than to create. Start creating - the results are worth the effort.
- Listen to Your Community - Create venues and opportunities for community members to communicate with the school, the principal and with each other. Principal Chats are one of the ways I create an opportunity to listen to community members.
- Involving Parents is NOT an Option - As challenging as this may be, we need to recognize that we (educators) commited to work as much with some adults as with some kids. Involving and helping to educate parents is the only way to eliminate the achievement gap for some students - especially those who live in generational poverty.
Topics: BACK TO SCHOOL, Family Involvement, How to Help | No Comments »
15 Ways to Help Kids Build a Positive Self Image (and Increase Student Achievement as a Side Benefit)
By Tobi Kibel Piatek | Friday, May 16th, 2008
Whether in a classroom, an afterschool program, summer camp, or at home, creating an atmosphere in which everyone feels good about themselves will very likely result in a place where learning and good relationships can flourish.
These great ideas for building positive self image (adapted from Building Self Concept in the Classroom, an article by Pat Huggins, Northwest Clearinghouse for Gifted Education) will work as well with parents and community members, as they do with all of the kids in your classroom or program. Try them, and then, please share your thoughts and the responses you see from your kids and their families.
- Teach well. There is nothing more important for anyone, than believing and experiencing that he is able to learn.
- Help kids find an area that has challenge for them; one in which they can find success. Self-confidence is very much the result of having met and handled a series of challenging situations.
- Relate kids’ successes to a more central belief; i.e., academic ability. If a kid can see herself as capable of learning, or creating, or thinking well, you reinforce this central belief.
- Demonstrate caring and acceptance for all kids. The most important way we can show our interest is by truly listening.
- Use special notes, awards, certificates, etc., to make kids feel special. There are few self-concept building strategies more potent than taking the time to write a note to tell someone that you noticed a particularly good behavior, a sincere effort, a job well done, or that you simply just plain like him. Tape the note to his desk, or her notebook, and watch the expression when it is discovered.
- Give kids some responsibility. This can be a very effective way to demonstrate trust in the kid’s ability to handle the job.
- Remind kids to stop engaging in self-deprecation and start engaging in self-appreciation. Teaching kids to speak positively of themselves and others will go a long way toward improving self-concept.
- Teach kids to use inner speech to build their own self-esteem. Help them reverse the habit of negatively evaluating themselves and encourage them to believe in their inner worth.
- Make sure that kids understand that is acceptable to make mistakes, and to fail. The important thing is to try again.
- Teach kids not to allow put-downs and criticism to erode their self-esteem.
- Teach kids to nurture and support one another by increasing positive interactions. Encourage the development of a supportive community – a place where people are kind, work hard, and cooperate.
- Help kids learn to visualize themselves as self-confident and successful in the things that are important to them, and to affirm to themselves that images represent plausible goals.
- Create an environment where kids learn to accept and express their feelings openly, without fear of criticism or rejection. Allowing people to own personal feelings and reactions can have a powerful impact on self-esteem.
- Help parents and family members understand the tremendous impact they have on their child’s self-concept. Take all opportunities (at conferences, through your communications, etc.) to make parents aware of the direct relationship between self-concept and achievement.
- MODEL: The best way to teach kids to feel good about themselves is to provide a positive role model. Keep in mind that building self esteem is a tough job. Accept the times when you feel like you’ve failed, and forgive yourself – again and again.
Topics: Creating a Positive, How to Help | No Comments »
Getting to Know Kids
By Jenn Frederick | Monday, April 21st, 2008
Things that I can do to help me get to know the kids I work with:
1. Students write about themselves as a reader and a writer at the beginning of the year, which helps me ascertain their confidence and perhaps level of expertise
2. Talent show within the classroom: students showcase skills other than academic
3. Check-in: a time to talk about the weekend, share highlights and lowlights, and acknowledge successes outside the classroom (in sports, for instance).
4. A Mandala essay at the beginning of the year asks students to think about the things they most value in life and create a beautiful mandala with symbols to represent those things.
5. Free choice book clubs, where each student chooses whatever book in the whole library that is appealing to him/her. It’s interesting to see what they choose to read.
6. Free writes on broad topics, with the understanding that they can use the topic as a starting place or just write whatever comes to their minds.
I’ve used all of these to varying degrees in my classroom. I certainly don’t know all my students well; some of them manage to avoid sharing anything personal even given all these opportunities. But most of my students have volunteered information about themselves beyond the classroom, and I keep a record of what I learn in a word document. I don’t refer to it often–the act of writing usually cements such details in my mind–but it is good to have such a record in a permanent place.
Topics: How to Help | No Comments »
Now what?
By Jenn Frederick | Monday, April 21st, 2008
Now I know that MANY of my students exhibit some of the warning signs of dropping out. Poor attendance, poor grades, disconnected from school, uninvolved parents…those are the conditions we are trying to change at Pauling Academy. One way we try is by teaching through expeditions and investigations, which are in-depth (6-12 weeks) studies of high interest topics. Attendance should improve if we can interest them in what we’re studying at school. Another way we’re trying to change things is by having student-led conferences 2xs a year. We get 85% of our parents to come in and hear about what their students are doing, and we’re very proud of that, but that kind of involvement doesn’t seem to last throughout the year. Some parents, however, do feel welcomed during that initial conference, and show up via email or in person to help direct their kids’ academic progress.
An Observation Form that would work for my classes would have only two criteria: frequent absence and low grades. That net would catch about 30 - 40% of my students. But now that I recognize them, what do I do? How can I help them stay in school?
Now what?
Topics: How to Help | No Comments »
Ways to Involve Parents and Family Members
By Kevin Truong | Tuesday, April 8th, 2008
I feel I am in a unique position as a Site Coordinator for a homework club, in that I am able to work both in the the children’s classrooms and in a setting very close to their homes. In this role, I hopefully am able to help foster that link between the children’s school environment and their home environment, so that their is a continuum of inquiry from their classroom to their living room.
By working with the children and their teachers in the classroom, I am able to learn not only the specific lessons the students are learning, but also areas where individual students could use the most help.
Involving parents is the next step, and ways I can do that are-
-family nights - events where parents and families are invited to participate in an activity with their child. Game nights, potlucks, informational sessions.
-outreach - going out into the communities, to the children’s homes and doing outreach with the parents. Establishing, building on, and maintaining those relationships. It’s important for me to let the families know that I am making an effort to be a part of their community. There is a certain level of trust I’m trying to build. Since many of the families I work with speak English as a second language, my efforts may include passing along a simple note to them written in one of the native languages–Russian, Romanian, Somalian–that says, “Hi, I’m Kevin. I work in the homework club with your children..” As mentioned before, I think it is very important to show that efforts are being made on my part.
Topics: Family Involvement, How to Help, Mentor Stories | No Comments »