Professional Communication

The Creating Clear Expectations artifact that I created demonstrates professional communication by presenting information clearly, consistently, and with a focus on positive collaboration between educators and parents.  I have also translated the information into Spanish, the L1 of most families in the school community.  

During my time student teaching it became apparent that there was some disconnect between parents and their expectations of what the special education and school support staff could do concerning discipline, getting students to listen to directives and stay present in the classroom.  On several occasions, parents were called in after incidents to take their students home (half-day suspension) and relayed methods and techniques that they used at home.  While these practices would be up to a parent's discretion they were not acceptable or best practices for teachers.  I decided to make an artifact that communicated ways both school and home could utilize the same tactics when setting expectations to ensure consistency and reinforce the same positive behaviors. This creates a unified approach that helps children feel secure, understand boundaries clearly, and develop good habits both in and outside of the classroom. 

This artifact could have a positive effect on student learning by providing a clear and consistent framework for behavior, both at school and at home. When students encounter the same expectations in multiple environments, they are more likely to internalize these guidelines, which helps reduce confusion and promotes a sense of security. This consistency fosters an atmosphere where students know what is expected of them, allowing them to focus more on learning rather than navigating unclear rules.

For future use, I would send out a survey to parents asking what areas they felt they or their students needed help in at home or in school, to engage optimally with learning during the school day.