Family and Community Engagement

A teacher only knows his or her own success once they've determined the progress made by their students. In addition to collaborating with his/her students, the teacher must collaborate with others in a community of learners to create positive educational environments. I am confident that I have had a strong, positive effect on student growth by communicating with family and various community members to improve learning. I have provided some examples below of the measures I have taken to accomplish this.

Examples of Engagement

1. I feel that I am collegial and professional in my interactions and that I am competent in collaborating with others to create a positive educational environment for my students. For example, I invited multiple members of the community into the classroom. One of these people is TCNJ Biology Professor, Maureen Nosal, who I collaborated with to enhance student learning. She used her subject matter expertise to be a guest speaker in our classroom during a lesson about mountains and volcanoes. Inviting a member of the TCNJ community to teach students about mountains and volcanoes contributed to the wide variety of resources that I provided to students throughout the unit.

2. In the recent switch to remote learning, I found students struggling to stay motivated, and at times, found myself struggling to stay motivated. How was I going to help students learn while not being physically there with them? Easy. I would find a way to get them excited about lessons and determined to learn. One of the ways I chose to do this is by inviting parent "guest readers" into our Zoom sessions during our fairytale unit to share their own favorite fairytales alongside of their student. Their child was also invited to help them develop props for the story. Students were SO excited to not only learn about fairytales, but to show their peers everything they learned while preparing to tell the fairytale to the class.

Little Red's Grandmother reading Little Red Riding Hood to us!

During this unit, I also maintained professionalism when communicating with parents and received positive feedback. I have provided an example of one interaction with a parent and the feedback she gave me on my teaching, along with some feedback from the Assistant Principal.

3. I have acknowledged parents and families for their dedication to student learning and expressed my gratitude for their involvement

4. I also have allowed parents to become involved in their children's learning to increase the potential for student growth. One of the ways I have interacted with parents is by sending home a newsletter (shown below) updating parents on what their children are learning in class and inviting them into the classroom. Additionally, I created an activity book where students were encouraged to include information they learned from the lesson each day to show their parent or guardian at home.

5. Parents have also been invited into the classroom to watch students present their projects so that the students would be motivated to work hard and showcase their learning. Parents were also provided with an informational pamphlet about the presentations (shown below).