Within the joint position statement article IRA and NAEYC shared that they believe that, "achieving high standards of literacy for every child in the United States is a shared responsibility of schools, early childhood programs, families, and communities." I found this to be an encouraging statement due to our class's previous discussion about who the responsibility to teach children to read fell on left me feeling confused. I had personally placed more responsibility on the family because I hold the belief that the family is meant to be the foundation for the child's growth and development. However, I realize many families are unable or simply chose not to contribute to the educational advancement of the children they are responsible for. This is why the schools, early childhood programs, and communities are needed to step in and share that responsibility. Directly after the previous statement is made, we read "teachers of young children, whether employed in preschools, child care programs, or elementary schools, have a unique responsibility to promote children's literacy development." As I am working towards my goal to becoming a teacher I expect to have this unique responsibility placed on me, however, I doubt I will lose my expectation for families to support their children's development in reading in some way or form, even if that is only possible through encouragement.
In the clip above the Principal shares a method used at his school for involving the families and communities in the development of children within the school. They even share their information in English and Spanish in order to bridge the gap formed by diversity.
I found a great website full of grounded support in sharing the responsibility of the child's development with families and helpful methods for how to do so: http://www.hfrp.org/publications-resources/browse-our-publications/family-engagement-a-shared-responsibility
I think the idea of ParentLink is a great idea. I feel that it is very important to get the parents involved in the classroom as well as outside the classroom. This seems like a good way to do it and allows parents to understand what is going on inside their child's class. Like the principal said, the schools have the parents most prized possessions, their children, and it is a good idea if the schools keep the parents informed and up to date.
ReplyDeleteI think Parentlink is a fantastic idea! What a great way to help overcome a lack of parental involvement and show that the school is making a real effort to educate the families as well. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletePlease, do not ever loose your expectations for parents to be involved in their children's reading development. There may be one parent out their who needs just a little push, a little encouragement to get started on improving the strategies they can use at home.
ReplyDeleteParents have numerous reasons for not getting involved and schools must work as a team to encourage involvement and building relationships with student's parents. Thanks for posting the link.
Danielle, you have brought up a very important topic that many people endlessly debate. It is a fascinating topic. Thanks for offering your opinion and offering a video clip and a website. Excellent work.
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