Ms. M's Tales of a Teacher: My Personal Teacher Blog

Today I finally took another step to prepare and advance communication with families. I've presented on this topic, viewed the work of others, listened to other educators' suggestions, and reviewed all the information and ideas I gathered.  I created an initial parent survey to distribute next week. I created this in Google Forms, assuming all my families will have access to technology this year. I am prepared however, that I might have families that do not have this access, or have other preferences. I have plenty of envelopes and stamps readily at had to meet the diverse needs of new families this year- whatever it takes!  Taken from my newly acquired knowledge and recent presentation, I compiled a simple list with my top questions to select for a survey. Please note that just like each one of us, each family is unique, diverse, and has varying needs.  - How would you like to be addressed?  - Tell me something unique about your family. - Do you consider your child ...

 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 ...

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 th...

This is my second blog about family connections. If you missed the first, no worries, you can find it in the thread. As I continue to participate in PD sessions/conferences this week, I'm truly amazed by how many great educators and leaders we have in this profession. I'm always learning something new, even about topics I feel I know well, and the school-home connections is definitely one of them.  As I stated in my previous blog, I attended some great sessions this week at ISTE Summer Learning Academy, TYHO (Teach Your Heart Out) Conference, and newly added today, ASCD 's Virtual Conference, Respond, Reimagine, Restart.  These challenged my thinking for how to increase and improve my connections as an educator with students' families. This makes me joyful because I can share this new inspiration with other educators, and trade ideas that will benefit all.  One specific takeaway that's already causing my brain train to speed around the track is the idea of reaching ...

Hello fellow educator friends! Is it an understatement to simply say "wow!" from today's learning sessions at the TYHO Conference? Less is technically more right, so let's keep it at " wow !"  Since my article in the (KDP) The New Teacher Handbook: Curated Advice from Award-Winning Teachers focuses on Parent-Teacher Conferences (and the second article is teaching during the pandemic,) I'm like a sponge soaking up every drop of information, suggestions, experiential testimonies, and advice from other educators and, yes, parents ! The Parent Engagement Panel today was one of the best sessions I saw the past two days. From practical advice and considerations, to parental perspectives, it had it all!  With the upcoming school year being represented by a large question mark, there are many parts that teachers have to re-think outside the box on, including school-home connections. One thing that will  not change is the notion that establishing connections with...