Nick Kron

Period 11-12

March 10, 2020

Section 2.1 – Family Engagement

4.6.1 – Describe the advantages and importance of family or caregiver involvement in learner

development

Among everything an educator must do, creating and maintaining relationships with

families and caregivers of students is the most important. With these relationships, teachers,

students, and parents alike all receive certain advantages; most importantly, families of students

become included in the classroom and in the student’s education.

In a book written on family involvement by Glenn Olsen and Mary Lou Fuller, benefits

for children, parents, and teachers are detailed as the effects of family involvement in

classrooms. For students, they can achieve better grades, test scores, and attendance and acquire

an overall positive attitude in class. Furthermore, students also achieve better self-esteem,

discipline, and motivation, which further helps them in achieving higher grades. (Benefits, 2.1.1)

As for parents and educators, they build a relationship; and by maintaining that

relationship they build trust and communication between them. Parents will have increased

interactions with their child, and they are more likely to help in their education. For teachers,

they have a higher morale and greater respect from parents or guardians. Teachers also report a

higher job satisfaction and can acquire a higher level of understanding of a child’s culture,

background, and overall diversity (Benefits, 2.1.1)

 However, teachers sometimes have difficulties on how to contact parents and begin to

build a relationship with them. The first option is to send a newsletter to parents like the one that

I made (Newsletter, 2.1.2). In the newsletter, it can have special announcements for both students

and parents, as well as the student’s assignments for the week and upcoming due dates. In my

newsletter for my students’ parents, I list out all the homework during the week, as well as

asking for help from parents. This simple way of contacting allows parents to feel invited into

the class to help and this will aid in building family relations (Newsletter, 2.1.2)

Another way to involve parents is to host a student-led parent-teacher conference. In an

assignment I made for my class, I explain to the students what is expected of them (P-T Student,

2.1.3), and in my parent email I explain the reasons why the students are doing this assignment

(Mock Email, 2.1.4). Although this type of interaction does take longer than the simple

newsletter, it is far more impactful and can allow parents to feel included in their child’s

education and make parents more apt to attend meetings and answer phone calls.

These are only a couple examples of ways teachers can build relationships with families,

and by doing so teachers can increase the involvement of parents and guardians in their student’s

education, as well as help their students succeed. In all, creating and maintaining relationships

between educators and families is the most important duty of an educator.