Powerful Partnerships

     As September is coming to a close, we find ourselves back into the swing of things at school.  With a solid month in, we are back to routines and no longer just "back to school."  Those first few weeks are so very busy, and teacher and student exhaustion is almost a daily result those first few weeks.   But now, things are starting to settle in.  We can take a moment and make sure that we have everything in place that we had hoped for for the beginning of the year.

     One thing that I think would be a great point of reflection as we move into October is how we have developed relationships with families.  I have been a teacher for 17 years, and now a parent of school age children for 6 years, and I have come to realize just how important the connection is between home and school.  If we really want what's best for our kids, we should connect both parts of their world: home & school.

     An excellent resource for developing strong relationships with families is Powerful Partnerships by Karen Mapp, Ilene Carver, and Jessica Lander.  Their book discusses ways to connect and communicate with families.  It gives vignettes from teachers and parents, and also video clips to view along the way.

     I was reading it, and I found The Four Essential Core Beliefs for family engagement.  I'm a big core belief kind of girl, so I read this part a little more closely.  They are from Beyond the Bake Sale (Henderson, et al., 2007)  They are:

The Four Essential Core Beliefs
1.  All families have dreams for their children and want the best for them. 

2.  All families have the capacity to support their children's learning. 

3.  Families and school staff are equal partners. 

4.  The responsibility for cultivating and sustaining partnerships among school, home, and community rests primarily with school staff, especially school leaders.

      When I was reading those statements, I'd love to say that I instantly agreed with all four whole heartedly.  And mostly I did.  But there were a few that I started to make exceptions for.  That's when I realized something very important: my own biases and/or experiences should not stop my current and future students from being successful.  The moment that I allow it to be ok that for some kids those statements aren't 100% true, that's the moment that I might stop making connections with families.  Those connections matter for ALL kids.

     It comes back to my own personal mantra, see more rainbows than rain.  (Yes, I Word Swagged myself a year or so ago.)  Many people say it "Glass half full, not half empty."  Seeing your students and families through strength based lenses will help overcome some challenges, even when stress causes us to go towards a deficit lens.  I actually made that Word Swag to remind myself that I believe in "possible."  That even in a storm, beauty can be the result. Having a collaborative relationship with families is definitely possible, though not always easy, but always worth the effort.

     I am a parent.  I really hope my son and daughter's teachers read those 4 statements above, and think they are true of me.  I hope that they reach out and communicate, and that we connect so that my children know that we are a team.  That we are on THEIR team, working together to support them as they learn and succeed.  I hope that when I start to sound like a crazy mom, those teachers are able to see me through a strength based lens, too, and still work together for my kids.  That core belief #1 (All families have dreams for their children and want the best for them.) makes my mom side go into overdrive at times.  I know it.  I own it.  But, it's those conversations about dreams and hopes that will connect us the most.

     Families and teachers, unite!

     How do you connect with families in your school?  Leave a comment below!