Teacher, Parent, Communication, Diverse Setting

The Effects of TeacherParent Communication in a Diverse Setting

Emilia DeSantis 4/26/2013

What we learn with pleasure, we never forget Louis Mercier

Teacher, Parent, Communication, Diverse Setting The Effects of Teacher-Parent Communication in a Diverse Setting Introduction

Communication between teachers and the parents of their students is vital when trying to maintain a sense of community in a diverse school setting. Classrooms everywhere are becoming more culturally and racially varied proving to educators that community building skills are necessary for the benefit of all those involved, especially the students. Involving parents in their childs school is a key factor in diminishing any sort of racial divides. In order to build a safe and loving community within the school, it takes the work of the teachers, administrators, parents, and students. The efforts made can be strenuous and at times seem impossible, but when contributions are made in the right ways, the results prove to be highly effective and beneficial. Cultural Interchange The process where teachers make efforts to learn about each of their students cultural background as well as the parents make efforts to learn about the school/classrooms cultural background clearly results in student success. That new found information can then be translated into different classroom activities and lesson plans to help incorporate culturally-based knowledge into the content (Joshi, Eberly, & Konzal, 2005). Students are more willing to learn new content as well as understand and comprehend it when it has relevance to their life. This idea of cultural interchange cannot be successful without the proper efforts made by both the teachers and the parents. Home and school collaboration show great increases in the cultural competency of teachers as well as a positive impact on the students learning (Rule & Kyle, 2008). With the idea of improving a childs educational career, one would think that the teachers and parents would be able to work well together considering the mutual understanding of the

Teacher, Parent, Communication, Diverse Setting main goal. However, many teachers and parents carry preconceived notions about one another from the little interaction that has been had resulting in more difficulties with communication (Joshi et al., 2005). Barriers to Teacher-Parent Relations

Parents and teachers have compiled a variety of reasons that hinder open communication, regardless of their cultural background. Some of which include: the knowledge base of either the teacher or the parent, the different perspectives in relation to that one child versus all the children, the use of certain educational terminology when teachers communicate with parents, the lack of time that is given for informal occasions to get to know each other, and different understandings of the proper roles for either the parent or the teacher. Those barriers are intensified when the teachers and parents come from different cultural backgrounds and more excuses for the lack of open communication are created. Such reasoning include: inadequate amount of English language skills, not having a firm understanding of the home/school relationship, not understanding the school system, low levels of confidence, interferences from work, negative educational memories or past experiences, and improper attitudes from the schools personnel (Joshi et al., 2005). These barriers and excuses for not communicating negatively affect the students educational experience and can possibly weaken their desire to remain in school as they get older. Community-building Strategies For there to be a cohesive school community, community-building strategies must be implemented. According to Rule and Kyle (2008), fostering parent involvement, positive changes to the school climate, team building and bonding activities for the school faculty, and a

Teacher, Parent, Communication, Diverse Setting classroom that promotes equality and acceptance are key elements to building a sense of community within the school. In Rule and Kyles (2008) efforts at strengthening their diverse

schools community, parent involvement came first. The school counselor took it upon them self to make home visits in order to meet the family members of the students and to learn about their living situation and their employment. Many parents volunteered to give presentations during a program called Looking ahead to and preparing for different jobs proving that when parents collaborate with the school, those low income students are more able to overcome educational barriers. Research shows effective community-building when the principle takes initiative to address the students and faculty every morning as a whole and discuss things happening within the school, congratulate students on achievements or progress, and discussing important topics (Rule & Kyle, 2008). This type of communication is also a great tool when fostering respect amongst a large crowd. The more diverse a schools population, the higher the need to remove any physical barriers to students learning because having a welcoming environment where the students are free to explore can positively benefit all students. Parents are less willing to collaborate with teachers if they see that the schools faculty is unable to properly work together. By incorporating new technology or a new program into a school, the educators are forced to cooperate in order to learn and understand a new system. The more that each teacher contributes their own understandings, the more they will all grow together. Such collaboration can increase the levels of teacher caring and respect which in turn will result in higher academic achievement amongst students (Rule & Kyle, 2008).

Teacher, Parent, Communication, Diverse Setting Research by Rule and Kyle (2008) supports that integrating a celebration of different

cultures into the curriculum can positively impact a students understanding of diversity relations and also help them gain a greater appreciation towards learning. A program called Star of the Week was created to build up the confidence of each student as well as incorporate the families of those students into the classroom. Students are chosen at random and assigned a leadership week; during that week the parents/grandparents/guardians of that student are invited to join the class to talk about the star student and share pictures and mementos. During that time, the other students are asked to share something positive that they know about that star student. This program is then incorporated into the classrooms weekly newsletter, with a column explaining the positive things each student, as well as family member, said about the star student, pictures of the visiting parents, and an interview with the star of the week; this helps bring positive attention to the students strengths. Along with the star student segment in the newsletter, there are interactive projects and age-appropriate reading material that is geared toward the students interests, helping to encourage more reading at home. There is also a worksheet that is included for family members to include some information about themselves, such as how they chose the name for their child or their favorite fall tradition. These responses are then included in the following weeks newsletter for all the families to read about each others interesting stories and increase their connection. The students tend to take interest in those stories creating more interaction and bonding in the classroom and increasing their motivation to read at home. An activity called Valentine letters was created to bring the students within the classroom closer together in a positive way. Every day for a few weeks a student was assigned to a different classmate that they would write three compliments about in their letter; each

Teacher, Parent, Communication, Diverse Setting compliment had to be a true fact. The teacher then writes a personal letter to each student explaining how they personally shine in the class in their own way. All of the letters are then compiled into a Valentines book created for each student; during this time parent volunteers not only provide help with putting the books together but are also able to get a first-hand look at the

letters each student writes to their peers (Rule & Kyle, 2008). The positive and believable praise that is given to each student is a major tool aiding in child empowerment. Conclusion Communication and collaboration between teachers and parents is a vital key to creating a positive educational community and support system for each student in the classroom. The benefits of a strong relationship between teacher and parent are many and make all the efforts throughout the school year well worth it. Families that chose to be involved in their students education both at home and in school increase the likeliness of that child remaining in school and continuing their education through college. Many students dont receive the sufficient amount of support between their family and their school resulting in negative educational experiences and decreasing their desire to learn. The more open communication and involvement that take place between the parents and teacher, the better experience the child will have in their education.

Teacher, Parent, Communication, Diverse Setting Works Cited

Joshi, A., Eberly, J., & Konzal, J. (2005). Dialogue across Cultures: Teachers' Perceptions about Communication with Diverse Families. Multicultural Education, 13(2), 11-15. Rule, A. C., & Kyle, P. B. (2009). Community-Building in a Diverse Setting. Early Childhood Education Journal, 36(4), 291-295.