Value of the involvement and support of parents, guardians, families, and communities
At the beginning of my practicums, I wanted to open the door of communication between myself and the families of my students. I felt that it was an important component of fostering relationships with the class by involving their parents/guardians in the students learning experience during my practicum. As a foundation of building relationships and connections with the families of the class, I sent an introduction letter home to share information about myself and the upcoming practicum experience. Here is an example of the introductory letter that was sent to students families 🙂
Teacher Candidate Intro Letter
Educ 490 practicum took place during an interesting time, where restriction on Covid-19 were lifting. In my first practicum, there were minimal in-person interactions with families and limited opportunity for field trips. However, during my second practicum, restrictions were lifting. I had the wonderful opportunity of more in-person and regular communication with parents and families. It was a great experience to involve family and community support in students learning. My Coaching Teacher had arranged for a student’s family member to volunteer in the classroom for literacy support on Wednesday mornings, I was very fortunate to continue this routine and collaboration throughout my practicum. I discovered how valuable this involvement and support can be in the classroom.
Community Field Trips
During my Educ 490 practicum, I had the wonderful opportunity of participating in 4 community field trips. My Grade 2 practicum class attended the play “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” at a local theatre. Another field trip included a nature walk through a local community park called Moore’s Meadow. Additionally, I was fortunate to attend my previous practicum class’s field trip to the fish hatchery for the spring salmon release. All of these field trips included the involvement and support of parents, guardians, and community members. It was an excellent experience to participate in the preparation, planning, and organization necessary to implement these field trips, with the involvement of families and the community as an integral part!
I also had the opportunity to volunteer for the SD57 Track and Field meet. This was an excellent learning opportunity of the many different roles and responsibilities the faculty, family, and the community take on during this event. I thoroughly enjoyed my role as a timer, recorder and ribbon distributor at the running events. Reflecting on all of these experiences, I understand the true value of involving parents, guardians, families, and the community throughout students development. Relationships and connections are the foundation of fostering this involvement, something I will certainly embed throughout my teaching practice 🙂