Parental Involvement

Some parents might feel like they don't need to be involved in their child's school life. However, that is not the case. Parental involvement is actually highly encouraged. Being an involved parent in your child's school does not only benefit you the parent, but the child too. It has been discovered, that students who have involved parents are more likely to attend school regularly, show improved behavior, have better social skills, and higher grades. Supporting your child's education helps set them up for success. I know sometimes it is hard to juggle working full time and also being active in your child's school! However, there are many ways to get involved that take away little of your time. One way to get involved is to attend the open house or parents night. This shows your child that you are interested in their classroom, meeting their teacher, and seeing where they spend most of their time away from home. Another way to get involved is to bring in items when a teacher asks for them. You would not imagine the joy children have when they get to say "my mom brought that for our class!" Sign-up for the parent teacher conference. Teachers love to tell the parents how their child is growing in their development throughout the school year. It's also helpful to the teachers for parents to ask how they can help at home. Helping at home is an effective way to really be involved in your child's school. You can ask them how their day went, what they learned, and even sit down and work with them on their homework. Showing them you are interested in their work and learning sets your child up for success. 

A mom celebrating her child's work. 

In my classroom, we use an app called Procare (mentioned in my classroom management post) where I can share my daily lesson plans with the parents. The parents then get to talk with their children over breakfast or on the way to school about what they are going to do that day. This parent involvement not only lets the parents know what we are doing, but sets the children up for success for the day. Another way we involve parents is by having them bring in supplies we need for a certain theme or just for a certain activity. For example, we needed toilet paper rolls for an activity we did this week and the parents brought in tons! The kids were so excited that their parents helped them supply a need for the classroom and in return, were deeply engaged and interactive during the activity. We then got to share with the parents pictures of the beanstalks (Jack and the Beanstalk lesson) all the children built with the toilet paper rolls they helped provide. When the child goes home, the parents can then discuss with them what they did that day, show them their pictures of the hard work they completed, and build connections with their children as they celebrate their success. 

Flipped Classroom

Flipped classrooms are becoming very popular in schools. A flipped classroom is when students use technology to gain information outside of the classroom. Examples of resources teachers give students to learn at home are lectures, videos, interactive worksheets, or notes. These are watched or completed usually at home on a technological device. When a student does work at home, the classroom then becomes a place where students participate in group work, projects, discussions, and other activities that focus on the material they learned online at home. When you have a flipped classroom, you enhance the teaching and learning process by maximizing your time with your students by providing collaborative, hands-on activities. With the use of technology, you can eliminate the time you would have spent lecturing to your students, and now focus that time to deepen their understanding of the concepts and use application to real-world scenarios. Flipped classrooms have a lot of positive factors. The content is available 24/7, students can work at their own pace, they can pause and rewind videos, and come prepared with questions to class. 

I have experienced a few flipped classrooms as a student myself and I personally love the way it works. Being able to come to the class prepared with any questions, or even just knowing what topic you will be working on, makes the class environment feel more positive.

Teacher working with a group of five students. 

You are continually interacting with your peers and teacher discussing, debating, and deepening your knowledge of the topic at hand. When working with those in your classroom, you are creating a greater school community by building your relationships with those around you. I genuinely looked forward to going to my flipped classroom classes, and would even say they were my favorite, even if it was not my favorite subject. I believe flipped classrooms are the future of schools and will only continue to grow in popularity. They are liked by the students, and they are helping prepare them for the future. Not only by producing autonomy to make sure the students learn the material at home, but also by enhancing their ability to use technology on a daily basis. 

Classroom Management

Classroom Management is the toolbox teachers use to ensure their classroom runs smoothly and their students are successful. It can range from schedules, routines, rituals, transitions, and rules. Classroom management is important for the fact that it provides a conducive environment that promotes learning and engagement. It keeps the chaos low, and it provides organization for all that are operating within the room. How you plan your lessons, arrange your room, what materials you provide, and how you communicate with your students all are apart of classroom management. When you have good classroom management, you also are providing a place for you and your students to develop deeper relationships. You can do this by allotting time to work in small groups, one-on one, or by providing a time they can come to you for help. These teacher-student relationships also can be accomplished by having a good communication system. Classroom communication can be a monthly calendar sent home, ClassDojo, Google Classroom, or other classroom communication apps. Overall, classroom management is a helpful skill to have in your teacher tool belt. 

Three children raising their hands in a classroom.

I believe that classroom management is one of the most important aspects of being a teacher. In my experience, it is best to to introduce your schedule, routines, rituals, transitions, and rules at the beginning of the year. This sets the expectations for how you want the classroom to operate throughout the year. There are no surprises and everyone is on the same page. Implementing everything at the beginning of the year also institutes consistency. I work with 5 year olds. They like to know how long they get to play in centers or how long they have to do their activity or craft. They also like to know why they are doing things like cleaning up or lining up. Implementing the routines and transitions early on, keeps the children constantly in the know so they don't have to worry if they have enough time to finish their skyscraper in block center or their picture they're drawing to take home to mom. At my school, we use an app called Procare. Every morning I share my lesson plans for the parents to share with their children on their way to school so the kids know what we are doing before they even walk through the doors of the building. This eases children's minds and gets them prepared for the day. When we start group time, the children get to raise their hands and tell me something they already know on the topic, something they want to learn, or one question they have about the topic. The children knowing to raise their hands is a rule. Hand raising keeps the classroom from getting too loud or from children trying to yell on top of each other. When children raise their hands, the classroom environment is "managed" and positive for all involved. Imagine the children never raising their hands and always shouting at you! That's why classroom management needs to be implemented at the start of the school year, so everyone can have a fun, positive, structured environment that promotes learning all year long.