Debbie and "Lumpy" checking in. "Lumpy" is not feeling that well. Recovering from Friday's biopsy. Scar is gonna look like Frankenstein.
Oh and if any of you can send a few shekels my way, I'd appreciate it.
https://t.co/IURXmSe20B#resiliencechat
#resiliencechat Tidbit: A report from Child Trends states "Positive effects of parental involvement have been demonstrated at both the elementary and secondary levels across several studies, with the largest effects often occurring at the elementary level.
Tidbit: Not sure what it's like in the GenEd population, but I tried to be more involved. Practically told to go play on the freeway by some of the SpEd folks. Therapists and others. #resiliencechat
A1: Parent engagement is when a parent is connecting with the teacher so they know what to expect when their child comes home from school. Also helping the class if they need help on special occasions. #resiliencechat
A1: I did much better with parent engagement last year and need to get back to that. We had Family Fun Days when parents came and did stations with the Ss. This year I have a parent communication binder and also send daily notes on my Ss goal/reflection sheet.#resiliencechat
Just came from #EDParentCamp, so a fitting topic!
A1) FAMILY engagement is families of all shapes and sizes feeling as welcome as everyone who works there. Family voice sought and acted upon. Family learning opportunities, alongside kids and educators. #resiliencechat
A1: Making families and supportive adults in Ss lives feel truly welcome and invited to partner with the staff to support their S at school. Building authentic relationships and partnerships. #resiliencechat
A1 Realistically, it looks like anything from a figurative "Do Not Enter" sign to true collaboration between different school constituencies. Level of control and maintenance of hierarchy desired/enforced by school officials is a key factor.
#ResilienceChat
A1 I wrote a blog post years ago in a now defunct blog I had about education titled, "Forget It, Jake, It's an IEP Meeting." Between the jargon and the veiled hostility towards parents like me, feels like we are discouraged from participating. #resiliencechat
A2: Parent Engagement at @rhsrodsquad maybe 50-55%. Parent Engagement at @FSUSD_ECHS maybe 60-65%. (These are rough estimations and I only go to #ECHS, I might be wrong about #RHS ) #resiliencechat
In reply to
@saratruebridge, @rhsrodsquad, @FSUSD_ECHS
A2 I think a pretty high percentage of parents are actively engaged in partnerships with advisors in support of their kids. We're a day/boarding school; our Parents' Association is predominantly day families. We try to time special events around drop-off/pick-up.
#ResilienceChat
A2: I do not know a percentage, but I know it isn't many. This is something we really need to work on. I know the communication part is there for many, but an area of improvement would be activities to increase parent/family involvement. #resiliencechat
A1: Parent engagement looks like parents and educators having balanced back-and-forth conversations in which respect flows equally throughout. The school makes it a priority to have school messages, events, etc. represent all of its population. #resiliencechat
Not just one school. Years of this. And people wonder why I ended up burnt out. I regret that I couldn't afford an attorney. Kid O's civil rights were trampled on repeatedly. #resiliencechat
Since @FSUSD_ECHS is working in partnership with @solanocommcolle The kids here are more engaged than say a regular high school since we have college classes! #resiliencechat
In reply to
@saratruebridge, @rhsrodsquad, @FSUSD_ECHS, @FSUSD_ECHS, @solanocommcolle
And two teachers who tried to be in our corner were forced out. Kid O was taken away from another teacher who read her really well. And another one retired and died shortly afterwards. #resiliencechat
A2 I have heard complaints about parents not giving a damn when case in point some parents have more than one job and simply don't have the energy to be more than marginally engaged. #resiliencechat
It’s the lingering misperception that family engagement is about how much help or support your child needs. Engagement is building relationships with the school. #resiliencechat
A3: A school with a strong sense of community has everyone participating is activities/fundraisers that they do. The community will be more active in supporting the school. #resiliencechat
A1: Parent engagement looks like parents and educators having balanced back-and-forth conversations in which respect flows equally throughout. The school makes it a priority to have school messages, events, etc. represent all of its population. #resiliencechat
I find our middle school parents sometimes struggle and/or seek advice with how to gradually pass the torch on to their kids so they can be (relatively) completely self-reliant in college. It's not always obvious what's the best path. #ResilienceChat
Agreed! As a parent, I really just want the teacher to show that he/she’s interested in getting to know who my child is, like the heart of him. Not just improving his MAP score...#resiliencechat
A3: When seniors in my focus group say things like: I’ve been to six schools & I finally feel like I fit in
or We’re like a family here what happens to one of us happens to all us.
They are supported more than just academically. This enhances school community. #resiliencechat
Right. Another thing that I found as a parent, was the importance of "being there" for my son while he was in high school. In many ways that was JUST AS impt. as when he was in elementary school. #resiliencechat
A3 If a school community has a strong and clearly understood mission with broad buy-in, that is one of the best foundations you can have. Genuine voice and agency, ideally, follow from that.
#ResilienceChat
DC. And we’re working on spreading them all over the country. Several states have held them. Happy to share more... I’m with the @ParentCamp organization. #resiliencechat
In reply to
@MissShuganah, @saratruebridge, @ParentCamp
A3 I honestly have no idea. I think Kid Q's grammar school tried, though. She was surrounded by good people. The original principal was very supportive. The current principal, too. #resiliencechat
I think that it is incumbent upon us to help parents navigate the system and provide venues where they can share together and learn from each other. #resiliencechat
For sure. Support in high school might be (but of necessity isn't always) increasingly in the background, though, for example helping your kid strategize how to self-advocate rather than jumping in to fix it, or "peer editing" writing rather than guiding. #ResilienceChat
One thing our parents love, though sometimes it's a pretty small group, is just informal coffee chats in our dining room on designated Tuesdays.
#ResilienceChat
A4 If it's true parent *engagement*, sure, that definitely happens. But you need that mutuality, that sense of team, actual conversations, to make true engagement occur.
#ResilienceChat
A4: It clearly depends on the nature of engagement. If parents are simply trying to extract the most for the benefit of their child, it detracts from the sense of "community" although the level of engagement is quite high. #resiliencechat
A4: I feel like it does because they know what is/will be going on at the school, instead of leaving it up to the children to tell the parents. #resiliencechat
A4) Depends on the type of engagement. How I define it, yes—full partnerships. Steps by themselves don’t necessarily change parent perspectives. #resiliencechat
That's the goal - to make families feel welcome!
To your question, Sara, sometimes I've dropped by for a bit. They always seem happy to see me. In general, though, I think it's mostly parent-focused.
#ResilienceChat
So, as Ts, not only should we clearly communicate expectations to our Ss, but we should really try to paint the picture of what it looks like to be in our classroom for the families. Hmm...great angle! #resiliencechat
A4: It depends. It increases the likelihood, but what does the experience look like when they arrive at the school? Do they interact with others? Do they feel welcome? School culture will also influence their sense of community. #resiliencechat
This is an example of what I consider family engagement. I liked the convo about how to help your kid become more independent but I see that as something else. #resiliencechat
A4: I think if we move outside the traditional notion of parent engagement being PTO & Back to School nights, & instead look at creating a sense of community through partnership in whatever form needed to support the adult and Ss increases school community. #resiliencechat
A4 In regards to connecting with other parents, that has always been tricky for me. I married late. Had Kid O when I was 38. Kid Q at 43. A lot older than most "new" parents. And SpEd vs GenEd. Not much in common. #resiliencechat
A4: It depends on whom the parent is engaging with. It helps to have a variety of opportunities for families to engage with their children, other families, teachers, and the community. #resiliencechat
We email PDFs of our progress reports, but I totally get your point. The newsletter notice the Parents' Association usually puts the focus on families, though, which is one reason I personally don't often drop by unless a parent requests it or they wave me over.
#ResilienceChat
A5: I need to get back to Family Fun Days. We could also find other events to encourage families to spend time with each other at school. #resiliencechat
A5: We try to start by immediately making positive contacts with families, create a partnership. We have also done family nights right after school where we just relax playing board games and eating ice cream. Creating opportunities to build relationships. #resiliencechat
Yeah, I think there are two parallel conversations here, one being about family engagement in support of their kid(s), the other being more about a community-wide engagement and partnership. I think both types matter. #ResilienceChat
Like I said earlier, parent engagement doesn't necessarily lead to or equate to developing a strong sense of school community. Having said that here is #resiliencechat Q6...
Yes! At conferences with our daughters’ teachers I’ve asked how the class is going in general. I care about more than my kid, but I also know that the environment affects my kid. #resiliencechat
So, as Ts, not only should we clearly communicate expectations to our Ss, but we should really try to paint the picture of what it looks like to be in our classroom for the families. Hmm...great angle! #resiliencechat
Yes. Part of the outcome of tonight's #resiliencechat is to bring out the difference--and the connection-- between family engagement and feeling a connection to the school community.
A5 For us, pulling in boarding families is the key. Our many communication avenues help, but there's no substitute for being physically in each other's presence.
#ResilienceChat
A6 We seem to be drifting steadily toward a deep dive discussion of our current dress code (thank goodness!!!). I would so love for parents to be part of that.
#ResilienceChat
At least talk on the phone. I helped a man I never met in person. Just from an online forum. He was a Korean war vet, and I will never forget those conversations. #resiliencechat
A6: One of the things I'm doing at a school to create community is having a mom's evening in honor of Mothers Day titled, "Taking Care of Ourselves and Each Other." Mom's will talk & share & learn from each other. We're having one for Dad's for Fathers Day too. #resiliencechat
A6: Regular communication and working together as a team for the benefit of the student. If they feel their opinion is heard and their child is cared about by all members of the team/community, this will make a huge difference. #resiliencechat
Yes, the culture of respect/rapport and learning is so important for the entire classroom. Without a strong culture of learning, not much learning may happen for any student. #resiliencechat
I guess it’s not that I have a problem with supporting your child as a component of family engagement, but that it’s often perceived as starting and ending there... so then it’s as if family engagement itself ends when that support recedes. #resiliencechat
Advisors communicate a lot w/parents, often asking whether email or phone calls are preferred. Some of our parents don't speak English, so definitely written with them. We increasingly use WeChat w/Chinese families. Hard to engage a larger group together, though.
#ResilienceChat
I think it's important to recognize that not all parents communicate using the same tools. It is ALWAYS helpful and respectful to ask how they would like to receive more communication. #resiliencechat
Ah. Yes, I see your point. But I very much try to think in terms of both team support of each kid, plus larger community support of school growth.
#ResilienceChat
A6: Make families and supportive adults feel welcome and truly feel that staff members are genuinely interested in being of service to them as well, as they support their Ss in school. The door should always be open to them. #resiliencechat
A7: As a result of this #resiliencechat I plan to continue running @FSUSD_ECHS Leadership Twitter and Instagram page @theechsvoice I will also try to make sure the parents of my fellow peers know what is going on #ECHS
In reply to
@saratruebridge, @FSUSD_ECHS, @theechsvoice
Once again, another great #resiliencechat with so much sharing and great ideas. Speaking of a great and supportive community... I am grateful to all for participating!
A7: I will start planning my next Family Fun Day for next year and other ways to get our parents at the school, spending time with their kiddos. #resiliencechat
