Teaching Tolerance

Blog 10

One part of the Teaching Tolerance website that I found to be useful was Family Engagement. Since I have started taking these education courses and reading the books that go along with the courses, it is always mentioned that engaging parents in their child’s progress in school is key to the success of the child. It also helps with keeping everyone on the same page. “The National Parent Teacher Association gives five reasons to renew the push to engage parents before, during and after ‘Bring Your Family to School Week’: Higher grades, test scores, graduation rates, better attendance at school, fewer suspensions and incidents of violent behavior, increased motivation and self-esteem, decreased drug and alcohol use” (Family Engagement). Parents like to know what is going on with their child and having all parties involved helps with keeping everyone happy and avoiding miscommunications. Another important aspect in getting the family engaged, is sending behavior and schoolwork reports home with the child on a daily basis. Most of the time, parents hear from the school or the child’s teacher when they have done something wrong and the parents receive bad news. By sending home behavior and schoolwork daily report cards, the child has more of an incentive to behave, thus giving the parents good news on their child. Another plus to this type of method is the parents can determine a reward to give the child. Parents know their child best and know what will get their attention in order to have more of an incentive to complete their work and behave. “As children's first teachers, parents play important roles in supporting academic learning at home and at school” (Family Engagement).

I plan to use the daily report card method in my classroom in order to get the family fully engaged in their child’s academic learning.

"Family Engagement." Teaching Tolerance. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2014. <http://www.tolerance.org/supplement/family-engagement>.