Schools are becoming more and more diverse these days and therefore, some students and their families may not all fully grasp American education culture. They may not understand the language or terms, the way teachers discipline, the way teachers praise, or working individually or in groups. Teachers have to keep this in mind when talking to the guardians of students. Get to know the student's families and their background because it will create a support system that can be utilized by the teacher, guardians, and students. The source for sorting out any issues with a student might be to talk with the guardians, a lot of information can be found this way. Understanding different backgrounds is an investigation that takes time and patience. Sometimes it is hard to get a hold of busy guardians or they may not speak English fluently. Compromising time and figuring out ways to communicate will save a lot of struggle in the long run. After all, there is one important common factor the teacher and guardian have, which is the student/child.
As a side note: I wonder what happens when there are no healthy or supportive guardians? What happens when the student is completely out of control? What happens if the parents are out of control? Although Rothstein and Trumbull make good points about effective teacher/guardian relationships and culturally diverse families, they do not address what to do when you have exhausted all your options.
Whose Child Is This?
"Whose child is this?" I asked one day
Seeing a little one out at play.
"Mine", said the parent with a tender smile
"Mine to keep a little while.
To bathe his/her hands and comb his/her hair,
To tell him/her what he/she is to wear,
To prepare him/her that he/she may always be good,
And each day do the things he/she should".
"Whose child is this?" I asked again,
As the door opened and someone came in.
"Mine", said the teacher with the same tender smile.
"Mine, to keep just for a little while.
To teach him/her how to be gentle and kind,
To train and direct his/her dear little mind,
To help him/her live by every rule,
And get the best he/she can from school".
"Whose child is this?" I asked once more,
Just as the little one entered the door.
"Ours", said the parent and the teacher as they smiled.
And each took the hand of the little child.
"Ours to love and train together.
Ours this blessed task forever."
Author Unknown
Rothstein-Fisch, C. & Trumbull, E. (2008). Managing diverse classrooms. How to build
on students’ cultural strengths. Alexandria, VA: ASCD
When it comes to parent teacher relationships there is no such thing as having too much information. As diverse as our students are, it is a safe bet that the parents are even more diverse. It is important for teachers to know where our student's parents are coming from so we do not immediately judge them. We need to be understanding and communicate effectively to create a relation built on respect and mutual understanding.
ReplyDelete-Katie Landon
I really enjoyed that poem that you put at the end of your post. I feel that when the student walks through our door they do become "our child" in a sense. We should strive to teach them as if they were our children. I feel that when I treat my students with respect and kindness I am able to establish a relationship on trust and that they can learn more.
ReplyDeleteYou are right that both teacher and parent need to work together. It is difficult, however, when the parent is not caring or there are other obstacles such as a language barrier or time constraints of a working parents. I really liked the chart in section 36 of Noel’s Multicultural Education. Epstein (1995) shows six different types of involvement and makes suggestions on how teachers can try to be more involved and care more for their students. This list is by no means exhaustive, but it does give the teacher a place to start when working with parents.
ReplyDeleteLike you said, the more teachers know their student, the more they are able to help, and the more they will be able to choose which of these suggestions might work with their students. Hopefully this will help prevent problems from developing. As for dealing with students who are out of control, that all depends on the administration of the school. You may be blessed with a great administration that will help problem solve; otherwise you are usually left on your own.
Epstein, J. (1995), School/family/community partnership: Caring for children we share. In Noel, J. (Ed.), Multicultural education (pp. 192-198), New York, NY: McGraw Hill.