Why youve

included it

Actions

How its
supported by
literature

How its
supported from
your
experiences and
knowledges

How its
welcoming

How its
collaborative

How its
Culturally
Relevant

How its
Proactive

Daily/Weekly Communication

Weekly/daily phone
calls to caregivers
about positive
behaviors & academic
updates to keep to the
parents engaged in
their childs learning.
Parents are free to
contact me by phone
or email when at an
appropriate time.

To keep parents up
to date with their
childs behavior in
the classroom while
humanizing myself
within the home.
This will help the
parents with seeing
the student in
various context.

Families are
interested in &
concerned about
their childs
learning. They
want to be
involved, but
typically report
not knowing
what they might
do at home to
help their child
be more
successful at
school. (Virginia
Department of
Education,
2002)

Phone calls
allowed my
teacher to form a
relationship with
my parents. The
relationship
formed allowed
open contact
between my
home and my
teacher.

It shows that I,
as a teacher,
only wants the
best for your
child by
prioritizing their
successes.

This will allow me

and the parents to
work together to
solve problems
when they arise
because the
relationship will
already be built.

As a
humanizing act
Im sharing my
cultural ways in
hope that theyll
be comfortable
enough to share
theirs with me.

Promotes
positive
relationship
with the
parents
before
critical
instances go
down.

Weekly learning
objectives. (sent on the
first day of the week.)
o Share how
parents can
help students
at home to
build on the
learning

To keep parents up
with what their child
is learning on a
weekly basis while
building their
confidence in
supporting their
child learning on
their own. If they

Families in
general, often
wait for guidance
from educators
before
interacting with
the school.
(Virginia
Department of

Ive seen this

strategy used
widely in
preschools to
keep parents up
to date with the
childs progress
in the classroom.
I plan to use it

Shows parents
that this is a
team effort
which will
hopefully
encourage
educational
practice in the
home. Strong

- Allows the
parents to track
what their child is
learning.

If parents
understand the
homework, they
can relate it to
their childs
everyday life
through
examples.

Promotes
education in
the home
which can
lead to a
positive
mindset
about
education,

- Creates an
educationally rich

happening
inside of the
classroom.

dont understand a
concept themselves,
theyll be
encouraged to reach
out to me ahead of
time.

Education,
2002)
(Whipple, 2013)

for the same

reason in hope
that a parents
would contact
me ahead of time
for any
misunderstandin
gs.

emphasis on
education
outside of the
classroom gives
the student a
chance to
sharpen their
skills.

environment at
home.

creating a
positive
outlook on
learning.

- Turns learning
into an ongoing
process that flows
into the childs
home.

Roles for family participation

Parent read aloud.

Annual family potluck.

(possibly at the end of
the year during
classroom ceremony.)
o The teacher
gets to
become the
learner &
students
develop
leadership

Bringing relative
positive images into
the classroom by
putting familiar
faces in the driver
seat. Allowing
students to see that
their parents value
education can spark
a deeper motivation
to learn.

Allows students and

families to share
their culture in a fun
way.

Allows the teacher

to learn about their
students culture and
for the students to

Strong ties with

families and
community can
make it four
times more likely
that your student
will make major
gains in math
and reading.
(Whipple,
2013)

For me, this

promoted
positive black
images,
especially when I
knew the parent
from seeing them
around the
neighborhood. I
guess it gave me
a sense of
community in
the classroom.

This will
familiarize
parents with my
classroom and
serve as an
invitation into
my classroom. I
want my
families to feel
welcomed and
comfortable
with being in
my class.

Parents get to
create a presence in
their childs
classroom.

Cultural
relevance will
be asserted
through the
books that are
read. When
children are
able to relate to
the content,
theyre more
likely to
engage.

Brings the
community
into the
classroom.

In college I
learned a lot
about some of
my friends
culture through
this exercise. I
figured I can
simplify it to so
that my children

This will help

student feel
comfortable
being
themselves
inside of the
classroom. It
can also spark
my students
interest in

Another way to
connect the
community to the
classroom.

Gives students
an opportunity
to express
themselves and
their culture
and/or family
traditions.

Promotes
their
confidence in
their own
culture.

Students teaching
students about their
family, culture or
community.

Directly
promotes
diversity and

skills through
presenting to
the class.

learn about the

teachers culture.

can share the

same experience.

learning about
other cultures.

the
realization
that everyone
is different.

Getting to know your students in and out of the classroom

Show and tell,

allowing children to
share whatever they
want with their
classmates. (bimonthly)

Gives students a
chance to express
some of the things
theyre interested in
which will assist me
with getting to know
them better.

Classroom life
should, to the
greatest extend
possible, prefigure the kind of
democratic and
just society we
envision and thus
contribute to
building that
society
(Christensen,
1997).

I went to a low
income
elementary
school and this
activity gave me
a sense of
identity while
allowing my
teacher to get to
know me. From
there, my teacher
was able to
incorporate my
interest into the
content.

It lets the
students know
that you are
interested in
learning more
about them
which is
important for
relationship
building, and
can be used
down the line to
create relatable
hooks.

Students let me
know their interest,
I bring to life
within the content.
Once again,
students are more
likely to pay
attention when
some aspect of the
lesson is relatable.

Students will be
able to see what
they have in
common with
their peers and
how they are
different from
their peers.

Classroom
relationship
building and
finding ways
to personally
connect my
students to
my lessons.

Freedom of selfexpression in the

classroom. Students
are able to tell me
their mood ahead of
time which can
prevent problems in
the long run because
I will know how to
approach them.

The ways we
organize
classroom life
should seek to
make children
feel significant
and cared about
by the teacher
and by each
other. Unless
students feel
emotionally and
physically safe,

One thing I
noticed this
summer is when
you let a student
explain their
explanation
behind their
actions, its
easier to get
them back on
track. You also
get a chance to
learn what

Communicates
that the student
have a voice in
the classroom
even though the
teacher is the
authority.

Being as though I
know how my
student feels, I can
use that to
knowledge to tailor
the way I approach
them. For instance,
if a student is in a
bad mood its my
duty to brighten
their day before

I can use this as

a chance to
relate and share
my own stories.
Opening up to
my students will
help them see
me as regular
person who
faced similar
challenges.

Humanizing
myself with
my students
through
shared
experiences.
Students are
able to view
me in
different
context other

Morning
icebreakers where
students will have
a chance to express
how they feel
(mood) and why.

they wont share

real thoughts and
feelings
(Christensen,
1997).

trigger them
along the way.

they leave my
presence.

than being
their teacher.

School community outside of classroom

Visit community
leaders and allow them
to speak to the children
about their career,

This will build

confidence and
inspiration amongst
my students. They
get to see positive
role models in their
own community
while learning about
the opportunities
that are available to
them in their own
neighborhood.

Relative
effective and
responsive
teaching requires
that educators
know more than
their subject
matter. They
must understand
the difference,
complexities and
nuances inherent
in what it means
to teach in an
urban
environment.
(Milner,2010)

The relationships
I built through
this strategy in
high school led
me to college,
theres no telling
what itll do for
my students at
such a young
age.

Welcomes local
community
leaders to the
classroom.

Bring forth the

understanding that
the community and
schools are one
when it comes to
supporting our
children.

Turning the
community into
the classroom.
Allowing
community
leaders to
inform the
students about
the community
they live in,
such as giving a
brief overview
about the
history of the
community.

Children are
able to learn
about the
available
resources
around their
community.

Partner with
neighborhood
organizations for
projects within the
community. (Peace on
the Streets)

Im looking to
partner with
programs of their
interest to help
create relevant
opportunities for my
students so that
theyre involved in

Community
knowledge is an
essential aspect
of understanding
opportunity, and
educators must
be vigilant in
their efforts to
learn about the
social context of

This allowed me
to become
involved with
making my
community safer.
I also got to meet
new people and
develop new
interest.

Invites
neighborhood
programming
into the school.

Builds partnerships
between families,
school and
neighborhood
programs.

These program
are usually
based around
the needs of the
culture.

Promotes
positivity and
leadership in
general.
Children are
able to take
what they
learn to

clubs of their
personal interest.

their
work.(Milner,
2010)

impact their
peers.

REFERENCES

Christensen, L. (1997). Where I'm From: Inviting Student Lives into the Classroom.
Virginia Department of Education. (2002). Collobrative Family-School Relationships for Children's Learning.
Whipple, M. (2013). How To Connect wth Families.

Milner, R. (2010). Start Where You Are, But Dont Stay There: Understanding Diversity, Opportunity Gaps, and Diversity in Todays
Classrooms.