Connecting with Families Part #4: Webbing Transformative Communication

 The concept of a web is a common image that is used to describe a variety of things. I find using a web as a tool to describe communicating with families to be valuable for teachers to use as a graphic organizer and a visual. 

When I think of a communication spiderweb, I picture the smaller strands as our frequent correspondences: short messages, weekly reminders, simple Q&A. These strands however, pose an important necessity to maintaining consistent communication. Without it, the gaps between the larger strands would not be connected. 

In a similar way, the larger strands are branched out- thicker and more sturdy. In my perspective, these thicker strands are the larger, more in depth communications that might demand more of our time planning such as conferences, Back to School Night, or other engaging events. Despite the time needed to plan and organize, the results of these are large, expanding the web further as families often look forward to these events/ times to communicate. 

Before the recent challenges set in on our work, most of our communication was remote (the smaller web strands) until we hosted specific times to communicate (the larger strands.) I believe that our circumstances brought to the surface the importance of making communication transformative instead of transactional (as I shared in previous blogs.) Although we have to keep in mind for equity purposes that we might have to discuss with families alternate ways they prefer to use for communication, using technology is nothing out of the ordinary to use to reach them. The purpose is not to change the what we use, but how we use it to make it more effective. The key is to explore the platforms now while it's early to plan out communication. 

One key component to this web is the spider. The master creator of the communication. We want our families to be engaged and supportive. While some families will reach out on their own accord, we cannot rely on this. We have to be the initiators and work with families to get them excited to work alongside us and co-teach with us. Much like we communicate with each other, this is the same level we must make the attempt to rise our families to this upcoming year. 

The transformative communication we need will come when we open up and allow ourselves to be more vulnerable. By this I mean we should take the risk this year in letting our families get to know us more than we might have shared previously. I personally am excited to share with them my work with writing articles, Scholastic, and my blog. Why not? Letting them see my dedication to my work allows them to see I have their child's best interest at heart. Sharing some personal interests such as exercise and books I'm reading shows them I am a regular person just like them. Telling stories is by far the most personal way to connect with them, and I plan on inviting them to share their stories as well. 

This delicate spider web cannot exist without the different types of strands that work cohesively to sustain communication and bring it to a deeper level. None of the strands can exist with out us, the artist who spins the web in effort make something beautiful to benefit our students learning, and their families' needs. 

Final Thought: Keep spinning the web of communication with new ideas, plans, and effort, keep embracing the connections families have with us this year, keep the different strands in mind to keep the web of communication branching out to create community.