Benefits of teacher-family partnerships
Families in today’s world are much like they have
been since the beginning of mankind. Man was given woman as a helper and companion
and together they were given children to continue the human race and multiply
into the world. The centuries as seen through the history books and Biblical
accounts have shown families to exist in the same pattern. We classify the
family unit as several people of similar backgrounds and common identity who
love and care for one another. They are not necessarily living in the same
area, but share a bond together. This bond grows deeper than blood lines because
many families include adoptions and multiple marriages.
Teachers in a very real way create a piece of the
family unit for each child they encounter in the classroom. They become a
leader and guide to the child, and also a person to be looked up to and
admired. For some students their own home life might be awkward and chaotic but
at school they can find a common ground with a stable teacher student
relationship. It is important that a bond be established between the teacher
and the parents in order to better understand how to lead the students who are
placed in the teachers care.
Parents and teachers become partners in the growth
and maturity of the student throughout the school year and in turn place
another rung on the ladder of their learning and development. It is critical
for teachers to work with the parents as the students need a consistent
learning environment both in school and at home.
Methods for developing partnerships
It can be difficult to look
at the amount of children you have in a classroom and the amount of parents and
believe you can ever achieve a level of partnering with them all. At the
starting point it is important to remember having a healthy relationship
between teachers and parents is for the benefit of the students learning and
the teacher’s ability to educate to the needs of the children individually and
collectively.
Parents will not always feel
connected into what is going on in their children’s lives. Teachers can help by
sending daily or weekly reports on what is being learned in the classroom along
with tips and ideas for the kids to do at home as a family. Such tools help aid
the process of learning and school work becomes homework.
Teachers need to know a
little about what is going on in the lives of the kids they are teaching every
day. This knowledge helps them to develop lesson plans and strategies designed
to specifically hit points the kids will understand and want to learn. Not
everything in the classroom will be fun for every student, but the teacher can
work to make sure everything is presented in ways to engage the imaginations
and excitement of the students.
A classroom is a community of
individuals brought together for a year to learn and develop new skills. The
teacher is the leader and head of the group and is in the place of getting to
know the kids and being able to help them learn more. Students who know they
are appreciated as individuals will function better in the group. Once they
know they are a partner in the overall learning plan, it gives a kid
-confidence and assurance they are not alone.
Making partnerships work
Several factors go into
making partnerships work in the world of business as well as education. Parents
and teachers essentially are similar to that of a workforce partnership. The
overall agenda is for the student to learn and develop into the person they
were created to be. You can never know from the point a person is young what
they will achieve in life and who they will eventually become.
Mutual trust between parties
is a key to any successful business arrangement. As the teacher and parents
come together there is an unspoken belief the parents will be open and honest
about concerns and be willing to ask questions. Nothing can be accomplished or
changed if people do not communicate and share ideas. A teacher should have the
trust that the student will take the homework home and complete assignments.
Parents should also trust teachers to inform them when there are learning
concerns.
Partnerships need to be built
on a common ground, providing for the overall development of the student. Focus
always on the good done for the student and there will be a solid work accomplished
done. Anytime something is starting out there will be conflicts and pressures.
Teachers face pressures just as much as the parents. Both are going to require
a focus. You are not just taking the student to the school so they have
somewhere safe to hang out and hopefully learn. And teachers have to remember
that they are influencing lives daily by giving the students time and attention
while teaching.
Schools are making it easier
for parents and teachers to have more time to interact. There are positive
programs and more are needed, which bring the parents to the school for more
than just pick up and drop off time. Students need more than just an annual
parent teacher conference for them to be understood and taught correctly.
Anytime you bring people
together for a common goal, it is important to keep that goal in mind. With
teaching and parenting alike the students overall development path should be
the main objective. As parents and teachers develop partnership relationships
they will also grow as individuals themselves. There is much learning to be
done for all three parties involved in the school system. Parents are the
lifetime teachers of their own kids. Teachers have the ability to be constant
in the lives of the kids for a season. And the kids themselves will be able to
grow from both individually and learn to respect and admire themselves as well
as their parents and teachers.
