Skip to main content

A Few Lessons Learned

Recently, I hosted a real time email conversation with the families of my students; only one parent participated. A second parent responded later on to say that she hadn't been able to be present at the discussion and didn't really have anything to contribute at the moment. A third parent had emailed me earlier saying she would not have internet access at that time. And, although we had a great discussion, I am left wondering at the low turnout given how comfortable it is to log in from the comfort of one's own home or mobile device. And, because I know that in order to improve at anything it is important to reflect on one's experiences, I have identified four reasons for why this may have happened. Although there may be other causes, these are ones that I will address the next time I plan a similar event.

First lesson learned: it took me several weeks to pull this session together. Did interest wane in the time it took to me to gauge parental interest and the actual discussion? Possibly. I had initially hoped to do an Elluminate session but when that looked like it wasn't going to happen I decided to try an email conversation. I had personally experienced the power of reading and responding to posts in real time, so to speak, and was hoping that my students' families would also find this form of interaction appealing. But, by this time in the year everyone is basically looking ahead towards summer.

Second lesson learned: a few parents responded that they were happy with their children's progress and/or learning plans and so didn't see the need to participate. This is actually the first time I've had this kind of response. And, although I was pleased to hear that parents were satisfied with what was happening in the classroom, I wondered at the idea that only parents who have concerns about their children see a need for attending a session with their child's teacher. Although, I was hoping for a more general interest in literacy and child growth/development, maybe that is too much too expect. So, next time I will focus the sessions around specific questions rather than broad topics.

Third lesson learned: it may have been intimidating for parents to respond to each other on email rather than be on the receiving end of a workshop by their child's teacher.

Fourth lesson learned: the conversation was on a Friday afternoon in early June. Need I say more?

Has anyone done anything similar to this? Does anyone have any ideas for a beginning of year topic? What are your thoughts about involving parents and families in the classroom using technology?

Comments

Juliann said…
I have not done this kind of online conversation but I have found that parents tend to seek me out when there is a problem or concern far more often than when they are happy with their child's school experience. I do wish we could find a way to be in conversation with families on a regular basis. It would be quite a change for most educators to really share the classroom experience with families. Cheers to you for stepping out and trying this. Something to wonder about.
13 June 2011 at 08:42
Unknown said…
Yes, that is precisely the challenge: how to be in conversation with families on a regular basis about the classroom experience their child is having and how that connects, or not, to learning outside of school.
13 June 2011 at 08:59
Tara said…
First of all..I just discovered your blog through Poetry Friday, and I am so glad I did! Getting parents involved these days is hard - unless there is a problem, in which case they are over involved. You were brave to try this...perhaps the midpoint of the year would be a better time? Perhaps having a focus: reading strategies? math games?
8 July 2011 at 20:03
Unknown said…
Hi Tara,
Thank you for "finding" me and posting a comment! I agree that having a focus would have been more effective. I am going to plan this more carefully next year and I will be posting about how it goes.
8 July 2011 at 22:13
Unknown said…
I think this is common. Sad, but predictable. Parents get upset and email. Parents are happy and they stay quiet, content. I also think some fear "rocking the boat."
19 July 2011 at 09:36
Unknown said…
Yes, and that's why it's so important for teachers to take the first steps and listen to parents' concerns. It is only when we listen that we can learn how we might work together with families in a partnership. This is not easy as we have been conditioned as teachers to respond/react and talk to parents as if we are the only ones that have something worthwhile for them to learn. I think it's time we stayed quiet and listened more; teachers have a lot to learn from the parents of our students.
19 July 2011 at 11:02
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Reading Strategies Book - Chapter 12, Supporting Students’ Conversations – Speaking, Listening, and Deepening Comprehension

The strategy lessons highlighted in Chapter 12, Supporting Students’ Conversations – Speaking, Listening, and Deepening Comprehension, in The Reading Strategies Book by Jennifer Serravallo are critical to students’ engagement and comprehension, as well as their ability to write literary essays, or even book reviews, summaries and reflective pieces about books. If students aren’t able to talk about books in a way that is invigorating and joyful, they will be less likely to develop an interest in growing ideas for writing about books. In her introduction to this chapter, Jennifer Serravallo, reminds us that when conversations go well, children are inspired by what they read and are motivated to keep reading. However, when conversations fall flat, then kids get bored and tune out. How do we avoid this situation and teach kids to  have  focused conversations about books?  The answer is easy: teach kids  strategies to help them develop effective conversa...
Post a Comment
Read more

Partner Reading and Content, Too Routine (PRC2)

I'm a hoarder. There, I've said it. I try to deny that I'm a hoarder but it comes back to haunt me every time I move houses, or pack up my classroom at the end of the school year. I have old articles, lesson plans, handouts, folders brimming with teaching ideas, past issues of profesional journals. I hardly throw anything out though I've learned to be more selective over the years. My one rule of thumb, and I really try to stick to this, is that if I haven't used or referred to something in a year, then it's time to toss it into the recycle bin. One exception to this rule (you knew this was coming, didn't you?) is past issues of journals from professional organizations. However, with the ability to locate articles online through my professional memberships, even this exception is becoming less and less useful, which brings me to the topic of this blog post. I am currently reading a copy of The Reading Teacher from 2010. I've clipped a cou...
Post a Comment
Read more

Rewards and Punishments

I'm always surprised and disappointed when educators I respect support the use of rewards and punishments to control student behaviour. Whenever I feel like my students are "misbehaving" or not behaving as expected or agreed, it's usually because I'm "misbehaving" or not behaving as expected or agreed. Sound odd? Perhaps, but think about this for a minute. When something goes wrong, i.e. not according to plan, it's usually because the kids have responded in unexpected ways to what I'm teaching or presenting to them. Unless I'm prepared to handle these contingencies I can lose focus of the lesson and the children. I find that the best way to deal with these "disruptions" isn't to control behaviour through carrots and sticks but rather to take a deep breath and think about what may be causing the problem. Often the cause has to do with one or more of the following: how I've presented the lesson (it's confusing, ...
10 comments
Read more