Jessy Ring
16 February 2019
“When teachers and parents are allies and teammates, their combined influence on children is very powerful indeed” (Curwin, 2012). Parents are the experts in their children, as they should be given they have spent more time with their children than anyone else in the world. Teachers are experts in curriculum, or they should be given the coursework they are required to complete. When combined, parents and teachers make a powerful teaching team. However, this teamwork is not automatic. It takes time and effort on behalf of everyone on the team in order to be successful. This effort includes making initial contact, practicing active listening, fostering communication, encouraging parents, and maintaining frequent contact.
When it comes to communication between the school and the family, the teacher takes on many roles. The first and most important role is that of contact initiator. When a student is assigned to a classroom, or class period, it is up to the teacher to make the initial contact with each student’s family. While some teachers wait until open house night or Academic Parent Teacher Teams (APTT) night, I believe this initial contact should occur before this time. Thus, educator’s take on the role of letter writer, email drafter, and phone-call maker. The next role educators should take on is that of host(ess). Parents and families should know, and feel, they are welcome in the classroom at any time. However, just telling parents they are welcome anytime seems to be ineffective. Instead, teachers should invite families to participate in more specific ways. For example, a teacher might say, “Mr. Jones would you like to stop by the classroom to observe a math lesson?” or “Mrs. Yazzie would you like to stop by to talk about your child’s development during my planning period?” I believe when teachers invite families to specific activities or events, it conveys to the parent they are truly welcome. When teachers tell parents they are welcome anytime, it feels like an automatic response instead of a genuine invitation. This is even more vital for families who have a child who has a disability. As Anne Henderson explained, “I think it’s very important for schools, school staff, teachers, the principal, all counselors, everyone working in a school community understand that it’s their role to make sure that every family whose child has a disability gets strong signals of support, or acceptance, or encouragement, or help, of a shoulder to lean on” (The IRIS Center, 2008, p. 6). No matter the role teachers play, it is vital they understand their position as a go between for the school and the families. Like a phone charger, the school is the outlet, the family is the phone, and the teacher’s job is to connect the two.
Once the teacher has made initial contact, it is vital they listen to the input of the families. The families are the experts in their children, culture, strengths, challenges, and home life. When teachers listen to families they can hear the range of emotions and stressors families are experiencing. The IRIS Center (2008) explained, “It is important for teachers to understand that parents of children with disabilities are likely to experience a wide range of sometimes contradictory emotions, and that one of their most important roles is to be supportive” (p. 2). Listening to families enables educators to build relationships that are mutually beneficial. The teacher learns how they can work with and support the students and their families, the families then receive the additional support they need. The connection between listening and parent / school / student success makes listening an essential skill for teachers.
Even though listening is an essential skill for teachers, very few teacher preparation courses cover what is involved in active listening. Grohol (2018) explained, “Active listening is all about building rapport, understanding, and trust” (n.p.). This is exactly what teachers want with their student’s families. There are thirteen steps Grohol recommends in developing active listening skills; including: restating, summarizing, minimal encouragers, reflecting, giving feedback, emotion labeling, probing, validation, effective pause, silence, “I” messages, redirecting, and consequences (2018). It is important to note, the steps proposed by Grohol can be used when interacting in most situations. Whereas, some of the typical behaviors associated with active listening may not be culturally appropriate, such as making eye contact. The IRIS Center (2009) stated, “To become responsive to linguistic diversity, teachers should familiarize themselves with students’ styles of communication, always remembering how challenging education can be for those students whose communication happens to differ from that of the school culture” (p. 4). This holds true for the communication styles of the families as well. When teachers are aware of the cultural variation that exists within their classrooms, they can practice active listening in a manner that is culturally responsive to their students and their families.
Just as families bring their unique communication styles to the classroom, teachers have their own characteristics that may assist or hinder communication with parents and families. Teachers have their own cultures, background experiences, and beliefs that have contributed to biases they may, or may not, know they have. Many educators would like to believe they are culturally responsive and bias free; however, human experience changes the way a person reacts to situations. For example, a teacher who has two sons may call on boys more often than girls without even realizing they are doing so, or the may call on girls more because they are aware of potential bias and over compensate. Gay (2002) explored the effects of teacher bias and their perceptions and expectations of students. He found, “there is a strong resistance to diversity. Individuals are socialized to devalue, suspect, and pretend to ignore differences, especially those that derive from class, race, ethnicity, and culture. Much of this socialization equates differences with deficiencies that should be eradicated” (p. 614). Teaches must be aware of their personal values, beliefs, and biases to communicate effectively in a culturally responsive manner. The IRIS Center (2008) further stressed how important this awareness is, “Teachers who understand their own culture and system of beliefs and values will find it easier to recognize how these might influence how they view others” (p. 7). While there are characteristics that contribute to a teacher’s effectiveness to communicate with families, when the teacher is aware of these characteristics they can respond to students and families in a culturally responsive manner.
The collaboration between teachers and families does not just magically happen with the students are assigned to a classroom. Communication and collaboration require patience and effort on behalf of teachers and families. As mentioned, the first step in building a collaborative team is initiating communication. It is important to be considerate of the families when initiating this contact. The IRIS Center emphasized, “parents often report that they do not feel respected by school personnel. To avoid this potential pitfall, teachers might begin by asking parents how they wish to be addressed (…) and about their preferences for communicating” (2008, p. 7). Opening the lines of communication in the manner that works best for families enables future contact.
I believe there are two things critical to fostering collaborative teams with families. The first, is that teachers recognize families as the experts in their children. Families have spent years with their children before they became students. They know more about them than any teacher will ever know. The IRIS Center further elaborated on the expertise of families who have students with disabilities, finding that families were actively involved in their child’s life long into adulthood (2008). Acknowledging this expertise changes the feel of communication. Families will know teachers are genuinely curious about their children when they ask questions. These questions should be open-ended and leave room for families to elaborate, for example, “tell me about your child?” Showing genuine interest communicates to families that teachers care.
The second critical element in fostering collaborative teams with families is sharing the good as well as the not so good. Teachers communicate with families more often because of problems then accomplishments. This does not help support a collaborative team effort. The accomplishments do not necessarily have to be major either, for example, a teacher may send an email to a student’s family to celebrate a completed homework assignment or good performance on a test. I believe this is true for all students, however, it is particularly important for families of students with disabilities. The IRIS Center examined the daily stressors families face including: a high divorce rate, lack of help, financial struggles, healthcare costs, and accessibility issues (2008). These families need positive news. Hearing their child is making accomplishments at school can brighten a family’s day considerably.
Fostering electronic or telephone communication is an excellent step towards building a collaborative team. Teachers must also consider the comfort of the families when they arrange to meet in person. While some families are comfortable meeting in the school setting, not all families will be. Special consideration must be given to room arrangement, people present, meeting agenda, and language used. The parent teacher meetings I have experienced were arranged with the families sitting across the table from the teacher as the teacher tells them about their child. This can be intimidating for families and does not foster a team feel to the meeting. Instead, the room should be arranged so that the family is sitting next to the teacher. Other people present at the meeting should be introduced to the family and their role in the meeting explained. I believe the introduction and explanation should come from someone the parents know and expressed in non-academic language, as not every parent will know what a speech / language pathologist does for their child. The meeting agenda should focus on the student, highlighting their strengths, passions, and interests. The focal point should be supporting the student to do their best. Finally, the language used at the meeting should be easily understood by the family. Technical vocabulary terms and / or jargon should be avoided. If the family speaks another language, an interpreter should be present. Overall, the meeting should feel like a team meeting, with the common goal of supporting the child to do his or her best.
Building a team enables teachers and families to discuss successes and concerns as they arise. Furthermore, teachers need to understand the purpose, scoring, and issues concerning assessment of students who have disabilities well enough to adequately explain them to families, as they have the potential to impact the educational decisions made on behalf of the student. For families, the assessment stress begins with the assessment that determined their child had a disability. The IRIS Center found, “Some of the parents of children with disabilities are likely to be dealing with the loss of their hopes and dreams for their child” (2008, p. 2). After the initial assessment, further assessments serve to make communication complicated. It is easy to understand how a parent may be disappointed to hear their child is not performing on grade level. Teachers should understand the assessments they give to their students. This understanding enables them to communicate the testing conditions and results to families, enabling the families to make decisions about their child’s education during meetings.
Teachers have a lot to consider regarding collaborating with families. However, the work completed by teachers is not enough to build a team if all the players are not actively involved. Some parents need a little encouragement and support in getting involved with their student’s education. This is true for all parents. There are numerous ways for parents to get involved in their child’s education. As such, even busy parents can find a way to be involved. The IRIS Center categorized parent involvement in six categories: parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision making, and collaborating with the community (2008). Utilizing these categories, families can be actively involved in their student’s education without having to take time off work or disrupt their schedule.
My personal journey into the importance of home / school collaboration began with watching a couple videos. The first video I watched was an amazing woman who, along with her husband, have adopted several children who have special needs. In the video, Cathy tells her families story, including the struggles they have faced along the way (Parents Reaching Out & UNM College of Education, 2013, A). There were several aspects of the families daily lives which I had never considered. For example, families with more than one child often miss out on special events and holidays because of medical complications. Also, in addition to medical costs, the families often must travel for medical procedures, requiring them to pay for accommodations as well. Watching this video provided amazing insight into what the family experiences, the family dynamics, and the goals and dreams of the families. The second video I watched pertained to a gifted student with several other diagnosis. In the video, Kate details what it has been like trying to navigate the education system in order to advocate for her son (Parents Reaching Out & UNM College of Education, 2013, B). From this video I learned the value in actively listening to families of students who have disabilities. If teachers had actively listened to the concerns of the family, their son would have access to an appropriate education long before his boredom became a habit.
The value of school / home collaboration cannot be stressed enough. Teachers should be supporting families, just as families should be supporting teachers. When the two come together, it is the child who benefits. Each student should have their own team, made up of all the adults in their corner. Listening to the families is essential for teachers, as the families are the experts in their children. Additionally, families need to feel like welcome valued members of the team. Families should be encouraged to participate in their child’s education, beyond attending the annual Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meeting. Families and teachers want to see every child succeed, this common goal unites the two parties as a team.
References
Curwin, R. (2012). Parents and teachers: The possibility of a dream team. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/parent-teacher-collaboration-richard-curwin
Gay, G. (2002). Culturally responsive teaching in special education for ethnically diverse students: Setting the stage. Qualitative Studies in Education, 15(6). Retrieved from https://learn.unm.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-4364986-dt-content-rid-30453315_1/courses/XLSVXGRN201910/XLSVXGRN201910_ImportedContent_20190113122015/Gay%20%282002%29%20multicultural.pdf
Grohol, J. M. (2018). Become a better listener: Active listening. Retrieved from https://psychcentral.com/lib/become-a-better-listener-active-listening/
Parents Reaching Out & UNM College of Education. (2013, A). Cathy’s narrative [Video file]. Retrieved from http://coeevents.unm.edu/learningfromparents/narratives/a.html
Parents Reaching Out & UNM College of Education. (2013, B). Kate’s narrative [Video file]. Retrieved from http://coeevents.unm.edu/learningfromparents/narratives/a.html
The IRIS Center. (2008). Collaborating with families. Retrieved from https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/fam/
The IRIS Center. (2009). Cultural and linguistic differences: What teachers should know. Retrieved from https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/clde/