I believe that education best benefits the students when their community, not only the school but the familial community, is involved and engaged. I think this creates a deeper bond for the students with their families when they see that they are as passionate about their education as their teacher is.
To put Standard 4 into my own words, it means that teachers want and encourage the students families to be part of their learning and growth. Teachers will keep the families up to date about what is going on in class, listen to their concerns if there are any, and collaborate with the families to best support the student and their learning.
I had the opportunity to attend the Parent-Teacher meetings at PGSS during my first practicum. Parent-teacher meetings are an opportunity for the teachers to talk to parents about what is going well, what needs to be worked on, and address any potential parent concerns.
The parents who attended the Parent-Teacher conferences were engaged and cared about their children’s education and their progress in the classroom. Parents came with questions about progress, inquiries into certain grades (both positive and negative), and to receive feedback from the teacher. Even if the conversation brought up missing assignments, behavioral issues, or both, the parents were open to this information and quite grateful to the teacher for sharing it with them.
I believe that these meetings demonstrate Standard 4 and what it stands for. These parent-teacher meetings allows the teachers to share the progress of students and for the families to become integrated with their child’s learning. As a teacher, I want to ensure that the parents of my students are engaged, in the loop with what is going on in the class, and feel confident in my ability to advocate and support their child.
