Elementary School in Birmingham - Case Study Example

The Relationship of the Family and School for Education: A Kindergarten room Case Study Kaneshia Conner-Goodgame of Alabama at Birmingham This case study is based on an observation at an elementary school in Birmingham, Alabama. The forty hours of observation were completed in a kindergarten classroom. The teacher has over twenty-eight years of experience. The class has 17 students: 8 girls and 9 boys. While observing the classroom, I focused on six concepts: parental communication, diversity in the classroom, parent involvement, classroom volunteers, parental instruction, and homework. In order to obtain detailed information concerning classroom processes I interviewed the teacher. She provided useful information and structure sheets that I used to learn about the relationship between the families of students and school. Parental Communication On the first day I noticed a table labeled “The Parent Communication Table.” This table was located near the front door where the parents could see it while bringing the kids to school. On this table there were information sheets available to keep the parents updated on school events, tutoring programs, weekly newsletters, and financial assistance. This newsletter also included activities that the parents and children could do at home. One of my favorite informational resources within the newsletter was the parent bulletin board. As another way to help parents stay updated, it provides advice for working parents about how to balance their job with their child’s learning. In addition, the teacher puts communication letters in her children’s green take-home folders. She said that this helped to ensure that the student’s parents received the letters because the children had to bring the folders back signed. The teachers also used other methods to communicate with the parents, such as through email, phone, and notes on STI. STI is a state-run internet program that offers information on the kid’s behavior, grades, and any school communication currently available. The teacher I interviewed said that email was the best way to deliver information and maintain good communication with parents. Unfortunately, this method is entirely successful as this school had a high number of students from low income families which means that some parents have no access to computers. The teacher also informed me that all of her children have information cards. She also uses the information cards to teach the kids their names, parent’s name(s), address, and phone numbers. By the combination of tools and techniques employed, it is clear that ‘Best Practice’ methods were being used in this classroom to enhance communication between the parents and teachers. I read in an article entitled, “8 Tips for Elementary School Success” by Koup-Larsen and Stopper (2011) which stated that good communication with parents helps both the teacher and the children. I believe that it is the parents that are best equipped to tell a teacher about their child’s learning behaviors and I will make sure to provide a well-structured communication system to keep my parents informed. According to Dworkin, Gonzalez, Gengler, and Olsen (2010) in “Using Newsletters to Improve Parent’s Communication with Their Early Adolescents”, they conducted a survey which involved testing 77 parents in five states to see the effectiveness of newsletters. This study showed that newsletters could be useful in transporting information back to the parents. Diversity in the Classroom In this classroom of 17 students there was only one student with a learning disability. This child has a type of speech impairment, but is not singled out due to this during any of the group activities. When I interviewed the teacher she said that the student works best in small groups with other children. She also told me that he has a speech-language pathologist that works with him one hour every day. The speech-language pathologist teaches the child how to pronounce words and how to better socialize with others. During the course of my classroom observation the speech-language pathologist came and worked with the child using flash cards, phonics, and a speech therapy system which encouraged proper pronunciation and speech through spoken student repetition. Throughout my time in this class I never once witnessed that child being singled out and enjoyed watching him work in groups with other children. In the general education curriculum, kids with disabilities are required to have the same subject matter and skills that other children receive. This classroom also included children from low poverty situations. When I interviewed the teacher she pointed out a few things to help me identify which children were affected by those types of situations, such as some children wearing unclean clothes to school, having no snacks, bad hygiene, and so on. The teacher said that dealing with this type of issue is the part of the job when you as a teacher need to go above and beyond to try to help and sometimes that may mean bending the rules. She would buy extra snacks and supplies and even maintained a clothing box filled with extra uniforms. The teacher informed me that she always shows support and love to her children regardless of their backgrounds or financial situations. The teacher talks with her children every morning about the three Rs: respect, responsibility, and resourcefulness. This teaches the student to respect each other, how to become responsible, and how to use resources learned at school to enhance their self-discipline. This promotes diversity in various ways which apply not only to African-American, Hispanic, or other racial minorities, but also to those with disabilities, cultural differences, and children in low poverty households. In “Rethinking Diversity”, Bobby Ann Starnes (2011) wrote that “Preparing teachers requires dissecting the many meanings of “diversity” and planning for classrooms that reflect all of them.” That statement conveys how diversity has various meanings that educators will confront during their career. Parent Involvement Parent involvement can be very helpful to the teachers and school. While talking with the teacher I found out that most of her student’s parents were young. She said it was hard to get these parents to come to the school because most of them felt like it was a break for them to have the children at school. When I looked at the green folders I noticed that some of the parents didn’t even take the work out or sign the kid’s papers. However, there were several parents that came to eat lunch with their children. I had one parent that came to eat lunch and the expression on the child’s face when they arrived was priceless. Children in kindergarten are like babies and they have to adjust to being without their parents. I noticed some of the kids would call the teacher “mama” or “grandma”. Kids at that age usually don’t have conferences unless there is a problem in the class. However, as teacher aides have been taken away it has been increasingly difficult for teachers to avoid classroom disruptions. This school now offers a program called “Reach for the Stars”. This program began on September 15, 2011 and will continue twice a month until May of 2012. This program provides information on reading assessments, student support services, and transition and offer door prizes as encouragement to keep parents involved and students motivated. The teacher made it clear that if a parent does not volunteer, it does not mean that they don’t care. Some parents are single or they work and it is difficult for them to come to the school. There are many such programs in schools that encourage family involvement. These programs find ways to establish and strengthen relationships between the family and school. This is important because children can always use the extra boost of support they receive from their parents interacting with them both at school and home. Classroom Volunteers There are several programs at this school that ask for volunteers from student’s families. Parental participation in these programs is intended to encourage feelings of security and hope as well as a sense of feeling loved in the children. One example of this type of program is the “Foster Grandparents through United Way”, in which people come and eat with the students or do special activities with them. The teacher said, “It gives them an extra boost”, before also telling me about “Campfire Kindergarten”, a safety program that teaches about drugs and sexual and physical abuse. Zemelman, Daniels, and Hyde (2005) wrote in “Best Practice” that “Parents can visit classes to discuss with students the work they do and the community efforts they are involved in.” Parents that don’t volunteer miss out on this information and connection, and are unable to experience the different types of interaction teachers experience daily. Now that I have had the pleasure of working with these kids, I know teaching is my passion. The kids hug me every day and call me “Mrs. Goodness”, which keeps a smile on my face and has convinced me of how rewarding a career in education would be. Parental Instruction Every child learns differently even though they are being taught the same material in class. Additionally, the instructions that the teacher provides at school may be simple to the children, but not to the parents. On Friday the kids have a free day. This means they don’t have to wear uniforms, but you still find some kids wearing them. When questioned, they may say things such as “my mom forgot” or “I didn’t have anything else to wear”. However, a newsletter is distributed that reminds the parents on a weekly basis of scheduled events. The teacher said sometimes you just have to call or email the parents to ensure they understand or you may find the weekly newsletters left in the kid’s folder. I can understand how frustrating this is as a teacher, but as a parent of three I can see this from the parent’s point of view as well. As a professional, I would try the system that this teacher uses which includes providing communication through the phone or email. However, some parents may be illiterate or unable to speak English and this may be the reason for their lack of response. For this type of parent, written instructions for their children can be difficult to understand. As these kids are young, knowing the family dynamic and practices at home makes it easier to instruct them at school. Homework I thought that Kindergarteners would not have homework, but I was wrong. The teacher informed me that she sends home a copy of the same work that was done in class, daily. She said this is a repetitive process she uses to ensure that each child understands his or her work thoroughly. The teacher would give each group a set of sight words which they were all to work on at both at school and home. The children also had book-logs which were located on the homework signature sheet for the parents. The kids are allowed to pick a certain book to be read as homework and the parents were asked to write down the book’s name and the amount of time their child spent reading with a parental signature. I thought this seemed like a lot of work. However, I then looked at the amount of time in class that is allocated to each lesson and the homework began to make sense and also provided another opportunity for parental involvement. This method will be enforced in my classroom because it will make the homework relevant to the child while the information is being reinforced by the parent, allowing the child to improve. Summary This observation of a Kindergarten classroom gave me insight into what it takes to become a teacher. The first and most important concept I learned was patience. I have observed a well-educated and highly experienced lady that comes to the class prepared to teach. She made me feel comfortable and allowed me to help her in the classroom. I was able to see the different levels of diversity, parental involvement, and communication in place and learned how to deal with a child that has a learning disability. Overall, I enjoyed my experiences during this observation. The teacher exhibited all the ‘Best Practice’ attributes inherent to a well-qualified teacher. I know that she has no control over the relationship between families and school outside of her classroom, but she makes no excuses. This teacher applied all the teaching standards required by the state and remained the same person throughout my observation. I would definitely recommend her to anyone that has to complete this study. However, I do have one recommendation about parent instruction in that I would provide an introduction sheet. This sheet will help me get to know my students and their parents better and make sure that my parents understand that all private information divulge is confidential. I want my parents to know that logic and common sense are the best resource a person can use first. This case study was very helpful and informative. I especially loved the hands-on experience this observation provided which allowed me to witness the best practices in use in education. Resources: Dworkin, J., Gonzalez, C., Gengler, C., & Olson, K. (2011). "Using Newsletters to Improve Parents Communication With Their Early Adolescents". Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences , 103 (1), 47-54. Koup-Larsen, S., & Stopper, S. (2011). 8 Tips for Elementary School Success. Moorestown. Starnes, B. A. (2010). "Rethinking Diversity". Phi Delta Kappan , 74-5. Zemelman, S., Daniels, H., & Hyde, A. (2005). Best Practice. Portsmouth: Heinemann. Read More