Reaching students' parents

How often does our comfort zone dictate how we interact with parents?

There are numerous reasons why we need to involve parents, and varying aims in doing so.  The aim I'd like to address here is that of keeping our parents up-to-date on what their child is doing in class, with the hope that they will re-enforce or help with accountability.

This aim is usually always easier said than done.  Except for the weekly or monthly classroom newsletter or occasional "run-in" at the grocery store, it can be difficult to keep our parents informed.
Nonetheless, we can't afford our parents not being informed of what their children are doing in class.  Even if we believe some parents don't care or have the time, we should strive to help them help their kids---our students.

How has parent and/or family situations changed for today's student?

Families are busy.  Our students' parents (both mom's and dad's) work hard to provide for their family, and might not always be able to dedicate the time they would like to be involved with their child's education.  To complicate matters, how often do our students lose papers, assignments, or other things we would love parents to see?  How often does a family sit around the dinner table and talk?

What can we do to increase parent involvement and support, if even a little?

One Option:  Create a Class Facebook Page

Showing parents what their child is doing in school can be powerful.  Using a classroom Facebook page can be a good way of sharing classroom video, pictures, and other announcements that before was not as easy to do.  Using a smartphone or tablet, teachers can keep parents up-to-date on what their student is doing in class.

Erika Harmer, first grade teacher at Chauncey Davis Elementary, provides a good example of using a classroom Facebook page to connect with parents and families.  The page is closed only to parents to ensure privacy, and is updated on a regular basis.  This provides parents qualitative information on what their children are doing in class.  Using this information, parents can engage their children about what they learning and show interest using authentic information.

In addition to posting regular updates, teachers can also post questions parents can ask their kids about their learning, give them ideas of how they can supplement their student's learning, or send out simple kudos and encouragement.  Posting the week's learning objectives, spelling words, or other learning ideas will promote positive parent-student interaction and has the potential to show students the value of education outside of school.

Parent involvement is a good thing, and has a positive impact on students.  As educators, we should do what we can to help.  A classroom Facebook page is an easy tool to use, and can be an effective means of engaging our students' parents.