Collaborative Relationships

Every session at the Sullivan Arts Center, I send this note home with students to introduce myself and provide a direct point of contact, in case families need to talk to me directly. Many parents drop their kids off at the door, and I never meet them face-to-face, so this serves as a first point of positive contact to communicate that I value their students and value keeping a line of communication open. I found this to be helpful, as I had a few misunderstandings about class times that were able to be quickly and easily resolved through a few messages. It also informs families about the nature of the class, and that even though students won't be painting or using pottery, they still might get charcoal or pastel on their clothes and should plan accordingly, setting up that expectation so that it doesn't come as a surprise later. 

This demonstrates indicator 8D, which states that the competent teacher, "understands the benefits, barriers, and techniques involved in parent and family collaborations." I value my students' families, and want our first point of contact to be positive and friendly, so that if there needs to be any discussion of negative behaviors or performance problems, our first impression of each other isn't clouded by stress or frustration---instead of a random stranger that is never seen or heard from, I offer a little information about myself, and share my excitement for working with my students. I also recognize that parents will prefer different modes of communication, and offer both my email and Google Voice phone number so that parents can choose whichever method is most comfortable and convenient. 

These slides showcase images of my end-of-session display of student work at the Sullivan Arts Center as part of the Arts celebration that the program puts on; artwork is displayed in the gallery, student musicians perform recitals, bands play a few sets, and the dance classes perform the choreography that they've been working on. Parents, families, students, and instructors come to the Arts Center to watch the performances and tour the gallery, and I always enjoy meeting the siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles of my students, and seeing how proud they are to show off their work, and to show me what they've been doing in the other classes that they've taken. I've even seen students that I taught during my field work at the Arts Center, which was a very fun experience that helped to grow our relationship and build trust. Setting up the show requires a lot of collaboration with the other instructors to negotiate space and ensure that all student work is properly highlighted, and when choosing work to display, I have to make sure that each student is represented. 

This demonstrates indicator 8A, which states that the competent teacher, "understands schools as organizations within the larger community context." I work at the Arts Center because I want to be part of the community that I'm teaching in, and I understand that how students continue to develop their skills outside of the classroom plays a huge role in what they can do inside of it. Uplifting students as talented, capable, and excellent builds confidence and encourages them to grow, which is why helping to set up and attend celebratory events like these are so critical. Talking about student work and praising student achievements with their families is a powerful act that strengthens my relationship not just to students, but also to their families---the first community that students are part of---and demonstrates to parents and families that I'm in their child's corner, and rooting for their success, and doing so in a wider community context shows that I am invested not only in the student's immediate community, but also in the thriving of the community that we share.