Connecting with Families: Beyond the Classroom #3, Continuing the GRACE

I wondered today if the presenters in my workshops are substitute mind-readers. (It could be possible!) As I rounded out the week of invigorating, challenging, and thoughtful professional learning, I felt (as a student would) my teachers intuitively knew what I needed today... I kept an eye out for sections, sessions, themes, and moments that pertained to school-home connections. 

What I noticed today (besides everything) was the sequential idea of follow-up communication and community. My last blog focused around the ideas of anticipating what families will need, and to prepare ahead of time to get everyone started, so the [actual] start will function more smoothly than without any preparation at all. 

In the live Parent Engagement Panel for TYHO conference, one presenter spoke from a parent's perspective. Her acronym of G.R.A.C.E is a great background to keep as your scenery in this story. Let me break it down for you: 

Guidance

Regular breaks 

Ask families what they need

Consistency

Exercise flexibility 

I visualize this as a circe, and all the other parts of communication brach out from it. If these points are kept centralized, then communication will be more effective. 

I personally connect with A-ask families what they need. At times, families often do not feel comfortable sharing what their needs are. Although we have to continue to respect privacy always, proceeding to ask allows the line of communication to remain open, and families will know they can turn to you if needed. 

Keeping these points in mind, I found many great tools, ideas, and experiences from other educators this week that I want to try, I felt (for a moment) like Mr. Toad in the Adventures of Ichabad and Mr. Toad (adapted from the Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Graham) when he discovered a new mania, and his eyes swirled. Perhaps this isn't a bad thing, I mean of course I could've had a worse choice of mania this week... It's not like I traded a red motor car for Toad Hall after all... 

So once the initial lines of communication are open, we welcome families, share new information, and successfully survive the first week (or two) of our new learning format... then what? To me, this is the most crucial of times because this is where a teacher has potential for loosing families quickly. Never fear however, my workshops this week provided valuable solutions that are also attainable. 

One idea I liked in particular was the idea of parent-camps. I'll be adding this to my resources list as well! Now, I always consider myself to be one of unimpeachable honesty, so today will remain congruent... I haven't jumped down the rabbit hole (or perhaps I should say swim down the riverbank to synchronize with the Mr. Toad theme...) for I received a forewarning you won't come out soon. I decided to wait until my learning events were over this week, and look at the website in detail next week when my time management is back on track. To summarize, if you're familiar with the edCamp model, it's similar to that but for families. What a perfect way to build community! 

Perhaps out of order was the idea to have Back to School night as a virtual option. Now, in hindsight I ask, why wasn't this an option before? Most likely one could argue that there was no need to think outside the box, until we were all forced to. Now more than ever, we need for families to visit our classrooms whether in person or virtual. If offering a virtual attendance option allows the family to actually attend, well then I'll sign the deed faster than Toad did, that's for sure...

Did someone say games? Of course you did! And that's exactly another idea that was mentioned this week. Invite families to a family game night (as you might already have at your school in person.) Now for me, since I dream big (yes the red motor car, horse-and-cart, airplane moments like Toad,) I think, perhaps there is a way to integrate both in-person and online games. This of course has to come with equity and cultural responsiveness considerations, however, it's worth the energy to explore options. There are great game resources that connect with LMS (learning management systems) hosting game night is certainly an option to be explored. 

Lastly, fellow educators is (what I feel) the heart and soul of school-home communication... conferences. We know these will look different with remote learning in place, however they can feel the same. Why is it that Mr. Toad's friends always seemed to support him no matter what he chose to venture to next? It's because of the relationship he established with them long before his new manias. Simply put, forming those connections early, creating community, and continuing to communicate with families with GRACE will make all the difference. Offer families chances to meet weekly as  a"check-in." Being flexible and frequently meeting avoids a longer more complex conference later. For the relationship aspect, I refer to (again) a podcast I spoke about in an earlier blog. e2e's podcast  #37 Rethinking Tough Parents  (the speaker) tresses that it's important to consider why those challenging conversations may be happening. Example; a family says that a student doesn't think you like him or her. Ask yourself, could that in anyway be true? No, (to my new teachers) I'm not saying to directly say that, but perhaps this student needs more re-direction and is aware of when you provide redirection. He or she might internalize you requesting that refocus, or frequent reminders to not interrupt others as something negative... misunderstanding why you are. Analyze yourself and share with the family that of course this student is appreciated and cared for/about just as the other student in your class is, however he/she might be reflecting on a time when a correction was given, and feeling upset about it. Ask the family how you can work together to clarify this and help the student feel safe and encouraged again. Even if the family is unsure, one thing you'll know for certain is, most likely they were expecting you to be defensive instead. By not being defensive immediately, trust blossoms. (Or in Mr. Toad's case, traded.) 

Final Thoughts: Once we work to establish the early connection with families, create the community, it's our responsibility to keep the communication continuing with GRACE so families trust that everyone will work together to make the school year continue to be successful for the students. 

Keep learning, keep planning, keep trusting, and stay "merrily on [y]our way to no where in particular." Sometimes, you just have to be...