Working as a School Family
School is a community within itself. Each school has its’ own rules, values, and traditions. It is important not only for the principal, but for each teacher to ensure that both themselves and their students are involved within this particular community. There are many ways to interest students and educators to become engaged within the school and it is important that everyone is welcome. Students should not only know their peers within their classroom, but also the students amongst them in different classrooms and grades.
- Learning Buddies: A great way for students to get to know more peers within the school would be through a learning buddy program. This allows older students to act as responsible agents while assisting younger students and showing a good example at their school through completion of diverse activities and games. Instead of reading buddies, the partners are able to work on all subjects together, whether it be an art project, reading assignment, or gym activity.
- Appreciating Kindness: Encouraging and rewarding kindness is very important within a school environment. I have been to many schools where a kindness quote is presented during announcements to start off the day on a positive note. It is important that students understand what is expected each day. A great way to give appreciation to individual students is to have a program where both teachers and students are able to submit names to the office when someone does a good deed. These students may be recognized on the following day’s announcements or possibly at an assembly dedicated to kindness each month.
- Fundraising Within The Classroom: Incorporating curriculum/class time: art, language (oral and written), math
- Clubs: where students have opportunity to bloom in interests and be involved in school. This is also a great way for students to find friends with similar interests as themselves. A club or interest can be a great topic to start a friendship (lego, chess, tech, ukulele, choir, book)
- Potlucks/Meetings With Students/Family: Having a school environment where not only students but families feel welcome. Updating students and their guardians through weekly newsletters, monthly potlucks, and frequent notes home allows parents and other family members to feel included and know what to expect for their children during class time. A great app to use is SeeSaw. This app allows the educator to post pictures of each student to notify their guardian throughout the day with pictures and descriptions based on what he or she is learning.
- Teacher Group Planning: Having a support system within the school is not only rewarding for the students, but also the teachers. Having frequent meetings with teachers who have taught or are teaching the same grade/close to the grade you are teaching gives teachers the opportunity to share reliable and engaging resources. This planning time also allows educators to be aware of what students are learning possibly before they enter a certain grade and what to expect for next year. Teachers may also discuss workshops that they have participated in and how to implement those new teaching tools within lessons.
- Amalgamating Classrooms: having the opportunity to amalgamate with another classroom who has the same grade is also beneficial. The opportunities are increased due to the higher number of students for group work for example. It is also important for students to communicate with not only their classmates, but also their peers in alternative classrooms. This gives students a chance to spend class time learning with their friends that might not have been chosen for their class that year. It also allows the educator to gain support for certain behaviours or situations that may be difficult as in individual teacher.
including community within the classroom
As an educator is important to truly care about students; who they are and where they come from. A very enriching way to do this is to incorporate the community within the classroom, as well as the curriculum. Community is able to be integrated through all subjects in schools and can even allow the opportunity for classrooms to be involved in multidisciplinary projects. Below I have listed some ideas that can be used throughout various grades and subjects.
1. Local Food Bank: A field trip to the local food bank enriches students through volunteer work and learning from community members about their town/city.
Visual Arts/Media/Language: Students are to be responsible of creating presentable posters and announcements to be posted around the school to advertise the food drive.
Language: before fundraising or starting a food drive, students may be asked to create a procedural writing piece explaining step by step how they would organize the project.
2. Community Garden: A community garden is a great way to incorporate outdoor education through the building process of the garden. Below, I have included a few ideas for three different subjects in which students can be involved and engaged.
Math: Figuring out how big the garden will be, how many rows, and how many seeds will be involved. Students can also measure their growing plants each week.
Visual Arts: students can illustrate the garden for a community sign that will be at the garden, sketching observations each week, drawing plans of the garden before built.
Language: Students could be assigned a writing assignment where they are able to voice what they personally think the garden should include and how the community should use it. (eg., garden club, community volunteers to take care of the garden on weekends, etc.,).
3. Seniors Home: Having students visit the local seniors home can open many opportunities. It not only allows students to be involved in the community, but the seniors would also be excited for these opportunities of socialization as well.
Language/Social Studies: students are assigned to one senior within the home to be paired as pen pals. The teacher would be able to assign different topics to speak about each week. Students would become more engaged knowing that their writing is going to someone, rather than being marked and then handed back. These topics may also involve the social studies curriculum as students learn about their pen pal’s past, family, and way of life.
Music/Dance: students have the chance to create songs or dances in small groups to present to the seniors.
Science/Visual Arts: Creating science fair or art gallery may allow for some friendly competition where seniors are able to vote for their favourite presentation or artwork.
4. Animal Shelter: Students are able to visit a local business where they are able to volunteer and possibly figure out if animals are where they would like to focus on for their field of work when they are older.
Science: Learning about behaviours, foods, habitats, and activities that each animal is interested in.
Language: persuasive writing assignments may be assigned focusing on topics to protect the animals where they cannot protect themselves (eg., adopting from shelters rather from breeders).
Math: students can focus on questions relating to the shelter such as how much food each animal should get and how to evenly divide time and money to every shelter pet.
Media: having fundraisers and toy/food drives for the animals is a great way to raise interest and knowledge about the community shelter throughout the school. Students would have the opportunity to create posters, advertisements, organizing meetings, creating lists of suggested items, and more.
5. Guest Speakers: Having speakers from local businesses come into the classroom or having students visit the speakers within the community gives a lot of exposure to what goes on each day within the town/cifty. Speakers such as representatives from the bank, bakery, fire station, post office, and hair salon would be a few examples.
Language: Students can have the chance to create questions to ask the speaker when they are presenting to find out more information. Students may also write about what they have learned after listening and seeing what the representative does each day.
Math: When visiting the bakery, students may have the chance to bake while using fractions to measure ingredients. When students are at the bank, they may have the opportunity to work and count with money.
6. Fighting For What You Believe In: Not only is it important for students to be aware of what is happening around them within their own community, but it is also crucial for students to have a voice. As an educator it is important to teach that sometimes even the smallest voices can make a difference.
Language: Students have the chance to write a persuasive letter to council about a closing of a school, or having more opportunities for after school activities. The letters may also be small issues within the school, such as having a class pet.
7. Appreciating Community Members: Sharing kindness is a very big topic within schools today. I personally love to read the books relating to “filling your bucket” and how to spread kindness to others. Having students participate in small acts of kindness can be distributed throughout the year and amongst many community members such as crossing guards, school bus driver, grocery store cashier etc.
Language: having students write thank you notes to community members allows students to express their gratitude to what people do around and for them. These notes may also be completed in a letter format where students are able to learn about letters while also sharing kindness.
Art: Not only can students decorate their thank you note with colour and illustrations, the possibility of creating an art piece, such as a painting, friendship bracelet, etc., is a great way to incorporate art.
8. Real Life Situations - There are many opportunities, even in our own communities to be able to connect the curriculum with real life situations and projects. These assignments would engage the students knowing that their hard work will be seen and appreciated. When students are interested and excited about their learning, there will be more respect and positivity within the classroom.
Multidisciplinary: depending on the interests of the students in your class, there are many different subjects and contests to choose from. Just as an example, I have linked a website naming 7 different writing projects in which students are able to complete and submit. I have also included the link for the scholastic art and writing contests which may also include scholarships.
https://www.thespruce.com/writing-contests-for-kids-2086738
http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/press-release/2018-scholastic-art-writing-awards-now-open-submissions-scholarship-opportunities-teen
Learning can be fun! It is all what you make of it. The more involved within the community you are, the more engaged and interested students will become. It is also a great way to gain trust with the community as an educator. Also, many different subjects may feel scary and daunting within the classroom, however if they are seeing the bigger picture and how to apply their knowledge the excitement overrides the negative feelings. Being involved is a great way to make a difference!
1. Local Food Bank: A field trip to the local food bank enriches students through volunteer work and learning from community members about their town/city.
Visual Arts/Media/Language: Students are to be responsible of creating presentable posters and announcements to be posted around the school to advertise the food drive.
Language: before fundraising or starting a food drive, students may be asked to create a procedural writing piece explaining step by step how they would organize the project.
2. Community Garden: A community garden is a great way to incorporate outdoor education through the building process of the garden. Below, I have included a few ideas for three different subjects in which students can be involved and engaged.
Math: Figuring out how big the garden will be, how many rows, and how many seeds will be involved. Students can also measure their growing plants each week.
Visual Arts: students can illustrate the garden for a community sign that will be at the garden, sketching observations each week, drawing plans of the garden before built.
Language: Students could be assigned a writing assignment where they are able to voice what they personally think the garden should include and how the community should use it. (eg., garden club, community volunteers to take care of the garden on weekends, etc.,).
3. Seniors Home: Having students visit the local seniors home can open many opportunities. It not only allows students to be involved in the community, but the seniors would also be excited for these opportunities of socialization as well.
Language/Social Studies: students are assigned to one senior within the home to be paired as pen pals. The teacher would be able to assign different topics to speak about each week. Students would become more engaged knowing that their writing is going to someone, rather than being marked and then handed back. These topics may also involve the social studies curriculum as students learn about their pen pal’s past, family, and way of life.
Music/Dance: students have the chance to create songs or dances in small groups to present to the seniors.
Science/Visual Arts: Creating science fair or art gallery may allow for some friendly competition where seniors are able to vote for their favourite presentation or artwork.
4. Animal Shelter: Students are able to visit a local business where they are able to volunteer and possibly figure out if animals are where they would like to focus on for their field of work when they are older.
Science: Learning about behaviours, foods, habitats, and activities that each animal is interested in.
Language: persuasive writing assignments may be assigned focusing on topics to protect the animals where they cannot protect themselves (eg., adopting from shelters rather from breeders).
Math: students can focus on questions relating to the shelter such as how much food each animal should get and how to evenly divide time and money to every shelter pet.
Media: having fundraisers and toy/food drives for the animals is a great way to raise interest and knowledge about the community shelter throughout the school. Students would have the opportunity to create posters, advertisements, organizing meetings, creating lists of suggested items, and more.
5. Guest Speakers: Having speakers from local businesses come into the classroom or having students visit the speakers within the community gives a lot of exposure to what goes on each day within the town/cifty. Speakers such as representatives from the bank, bakery, fire station, post office, and hair salon would be a few examples.
Language: Students can have the chance to create questions to ask the speaker when they are presenting to find out more information. Students may also write about what they have learned after listening and seeing what the representative does each day.
Math: When visiting the bakery, students may have the chance to bake while using fractions to measure ingredients. When students are at the bank, they may have the opportunity to work and count with money.
6. Fighting For What You Believe In: Not only is it important for students to be aware of what is happening around them within their own community, but it is also crucial for students to have a voice. As an educator it is important to teach that sometimes even the smallest voices can make a difference.
Language: Students have the chance to write a persuasive letter to council about a closing of a school, or having more opportunities for after school activities. The letters may also be small issues within the school, such as having a class pet.
7. Appreciating Community Members: Sharing kindness is a very big topic within schools today. I personally love to read the books relating to “filling your bucket” and how to spread kindness to others. Having students participate in small acts of kindness can be distributed throughout the year and amongst many community members such as crossing guards, school bus driver, grocery store cashier etc.
Language: having students write thank you notes to community members allows students to express their gratitude to what people do around and for them. These notes may also be completed in a letter format where students are able to learn about letters while also sharing kindness.
Art: Not only can students decorate their thank you note with colour and illustrations, the possibility of creating an art piece, such as a painting, friendship bracelet, etc., is a great way to incorporate art.
8. Real Life Situations - There are many opportunities, even in our own communities to be able to connect the curriculum with real life situations and projects. These assignments would engage the students knowing that their hard work will be seen and appreciated. When students are interested and excited about their learning, there will be more respect and positivity within the classroom.
Multidisciplinary: depending on the interests of the students in your class, there are many different subjects and contests to choose from. Just as an example, I have linked a website naming 7 different writing projects in which students are able to complete and submit. I have also included the link for the scholastic art and writing contests which may also include scholarships.
https://www.thespruce.com/writing-contests-for-kids-2086738
http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/press-release/2018-scholastic-art-writing-awards-now-open-submissions-scholarship-opportunities-teen
Learning can be fun! It is all what you make of it. The more involved within the community you are, the more engaged and interested students will become. It is also a great way to gain trust with the community as an educator. Also, many different subjects may feel scary and daunting within the classroom, however if they are seeing the bigger picture and how to apply their knowledge the excitement overrides the negative feelings. Being involved is a great way to make a difference!
Including family within the classroom
Earlier this week I was asked the simple question of "How would you personally integrate community within your own classroom?" The more I thought about it, the more possibilities I came up with. Thinking about the opportunities that could encourage students to learn in an engaging atmosphere where their thoughts and actions make differences is so inspiring. My initial response was to ensure that parent and guardians are always welcome within the four walls of the school. Being a part of their child's learning journey can be so beneficial for not only the guardian, but also the student. It is important as an educator to allow parents to feel comfortable and able to join in on the excitement that goes on during a normal day in the classroom. Below are a few ideas discussing how teachers and educators can include families in on the learning that occurs each day.
Parent Volunteers
For many years, parent volunteers have participated within the classroom through many different outlets, such as; school field trip chaperones, lunch supervisors, preparing materials for activities and centres, reading recovery etc., No matter how a family member is willing to help, it is important as a teacher to organize what is needed and how the individual can assist during their time within the classroom. I believe that family members' time should be valued and respected with jobs and tasks that truly make a difference on student learning, rather than daily chores around the classroom, such as checking agendas and organizing the back cupboard. Take the time to get to know the parents and guardians, find out what their interests and strengths are to be able to take full advantage of them during volunteer time. A simple survey could be handed out at the beginning of the year to family members who are willing to volunteer. As the teacher reviews comments on the survey, they are able to invite particular parents in at certain times of the day to assist to their fullest potential. For example, having a mother volunteer who is a fitness instructor join the class during outdoor education and inviting a grandparent in during literacy who is a retired teacher and is interested in helping with reading recovery. Another point that needs to be considered is having the parent/guardian comfortable within the classroom, knowing where supplies are located and at what times transitions occur. Before volunteering begins, it would be a great idea to give the family member a little tour of the classroom and answer any questions he or she may have regarding their time within the classroom.
Family Friendly Room
From the beginning of the year, ensure that the families know that diversity and community are valued highly within the classroom. This can be visualized through a family tree bulletin board, sending surveys home asking families to please send fun and resourceful songs and books that can be integrated within the classroom that include different cultures and diversification, and even creating a space for parent and guardians to place their belongings when they come to volunteer within the classroom.
Guest Speakers
A guest speaker is a great way to motivate and inspire students with a new voice within the classroom. There are so many valuable resources at your fingertips when having family volunteers that are willing to share experiences and life lessons to the class. For example, when learning about fire safety, it would be beneficial to have a parent or guardian that is a firefighter to come and speak about his or her job and how to prevent and stay safe when it comes to fires. Guest speakers can be welcomed during any subject; book authors during english, engineers during math and science, photographers during visual arts, musicians during music... just to name a few.
Family Projects
Family is a big part of a student's life and it is important to encourage growth and memories to occur with their loved ones at home. A great way to include family is to send home fun projects or games for the whole family to complete as a group. That being said, it is important to consider busy work schedules and after school activities. The activities should not take up a lot of time and depending on the project or assignment, a sign up schedule could be beneficial as well. One family assignment was to have each family sign up for at least one week of the school year to create the classroom's play dough for the week. The teacher was willing to provide the ingredients to families if needed, which was important to ensure that everyone had the chance to place their own twist on one of the centre favourites, such as adding snowflakes and sparkles into blue coloured play dough to create "Frozen snow". Another great project was to read every night with a family member for any amount of time while recording their total reading time on a reading template handed out by the teacher. The possibilities are endless and having students and families brainstorm ideas for at-home projects could also be a great way to ensure that the activities are engaging and related to the learner's interests, such as math challenges or creating time lines presenting important life events.
Regular Updates
Making sure parents and guardians are always in the loop when it comes to the students' education is an important responsibility as an educator. This can be accomplished through many different outlets, such as monthly newsletters, after school meetings or conversations (either face to face or quick phone calls), and sending notes home. Creating a space within the classroom which includes learning stories and concepts recently reviewed within the classroom allows family members to stay up to date on what is happening within the classroom. Helpful resources may also be included within this space, such as book club information, extra curricular activity sign ups, schedules drop in sessions at the local library for tutoring, etc.,
Appreciation
Remember to not only invite family within the classroom, but also welcome them with conversation, appreciation, and honesty. Make them feel wanted and valued during their time as a volunteer and don't ever forget to thank each and every parent and guardian. Appreciation can be presented in so many ways and this may also be a topic to discuss and brainstorm with students, depending on the age and grade. Some past gestures that I have experienced are thank you cards from the students, appreciation potluck nights, shoutouts on classroom blogs and at school assemblies, short videos, or pictures sent along with a sincere message. No matter how big or small the gesture is, make sure that every volunteer is valued for their hard work that they spend, not only in the classroom, but as well as at home.
Ask For Feedback
Any feedback is good feedback! It is important as an educator to improve every year with the help and feedback from not only yourself, but others. This feedback can be anonymous, and depending on the age of your students, it can be completed by your class as well. It is your job as a teacher to make sure that everyone is comfortable and respected within the four walls of the classroom, and you must do everything possible to achieve this goal.
Parent Volunteers
For many years, parent volunteers have participated within the classroom through many different outlets, such as; school field trip chaperones, lunch supervisors, preparing materials for activities and centres, reading recovery etc., No matter how a family member is willing to help, it is important as a teacher to organize what is needed and how the individual can assist during their time within the classroom. I believe that family members' time should be valued and respected with jobs and tasks that truly make a difference on student learning, rather than daily chores around the classroom, such as checking agendas and organizing the back cupboard. Take the time to get to know the parents and guardians, find out what their interests and strengths are to be able to take full advantage of them during volunteer time. A simple survey could be handed out at the beginning of the year to family members who are willing to volunteer. As the teacher reviews comments on the survey, they are able to invite particular parents in at certain times of the day to assist to their fullest potential. For example, having a mother volunteer who is a fitness instructor join the class during outdoor education and inviting a grandparent in during literacy who is a retired teacher and is interested in helping with reading recovery. Another point that needs to be considered is having the parent/guardian comfortable within the classroom, knowing where supplies are located and at what times transitions occur. Before volunteering begins, it would be a great idea to give the family member a little tour of the classroom and answer any questions he or she may have regarding their time within the classroom.
Family Friendly Room
From the beginning of the year, ensure that the families know that diversity and community are valued highly within the classroom. This can be visualized through a family tree bulletin board, sending surveys home asking families to please send fun and resourceful songs and books that can be integrated within the classroom that include different cultures and diversification, and even creating a space for parent and guardians to place their belongings when they come to volunteer within the classroom.
Guest Speakers
A guest speaker is a great way to motivate and inspire students with a new voice within the classroom. There are so many valuable resources at your fingertips when having family volunteers that are willing to share experiences and life lessons to the class. For example, when learning about fire safety, it would be beneficial to have a parent or guardian that is a firefighter to come and speak about his or her job and how to prevent and stay safe when it comes to fires. Guest speakers can be welcomed during any subject; book authors during english, engineers during math and science, photographers during visual arts, musicians during music... just to name a few.
Family Projects
Family is a big part of a student's life and it is important to encourage growth and memories to occur with their loved ones at home. A great way to include family is to send home fun projects or games for the whole family to complete as a group. That being said, it is important to consider busy work schedules and after school activities. The activities should not take up a lot of time and depending on the project or assignment, a sign up schedule could be beneficial as well. One family assignment was to have each family sign up for at least one week of the school year to create the classroom's play dough for the week. The teacher was willing to provide the ingredients to families if needed, which was important to ensure that everyone had the chance to place their own twist on one of the centre favourites, such as adding snowflakes and sparkles into blue coloured play dough to create "Frozen snow". Another great project was to read every night with a family member for any amount of time while recording their total reading time on a reading template handed out by the teacher. The possibilities are endless and having students and families brainstorm ideas for at-home projects could also be a great way to ensure that the activities are engaging and related to the learner's interests, such as math challenges or creating time lines presenting important life events.
Regular Updates
Making sure parents and guardians are always in the loop when it comes to the students' education is an important responsibility as an educator. This can be accomplished through many different outlets, such as monthly newsletters, after school meetings or conversations (either face to face or quick phone calls), and sending notes home. Creating a space within the classroom which includes learning stories and concepts recently reviewed within the classroom allows family members to stay up to date on what is happening within the classroom. Helpful resources may also be included within this space, such as book club information, extra curricular activity sign ups, schedules drop in sessions at the local library for tutoring, etc.,
Appreciation
Remember to not only invite family within the classroom, but also welcome them with conversation, appreciation, and honesty. Make them feel wanted and valued during their time as a volunteer and don't ever forget to thank each and every parent and guardian. Appreciation can be presented in so many ways and this may also be a topic to discuss and brainstorm with students, depending on the age and grade. Some past gestures that I have experienced are thank you cards from the students, appreciation potluck nights, shoutouts on classroom blogs and at school assemblies, short videos, or pictures sent along with a sincere message. No matter how big or small the gesture is, make sure that every volunteer is valued for their hard work that they spend, not only in the classroom, but as well as at home.
Ask For Feedback
Any feedback is good feedback! It is important as an educator to improve every year with the help and feedback from not only yourself, but others. This feedback can be anonymous, and depending on the age of your students, it can be completed by your class as well. It is your job as a teacher to make sure that everyone is comfortable and respected within the four walls of the classroom, and you must do everything possible to achieve this goal.