Eileen Hernon
Community
My number one reason for becoming a teacher is community. I love feeling like I am a part of a supportive group of people. I seek to build a strong community in my classroom and my school, and I also hope to use my role as a teacher to engage with the broader community surrounding the school. Below, I've included some examples of ways I've fostered a strong community among my students, as well as how I've engaged with parents and community members.
Classroom Family
I believe every child deserves to feel like a beloved, valuable member of a family. For all students, but especially those who might not be able to depend on a stable, supportive family at home, it is critical that teachers create a caring, safe classroom family they can depend on when they come to school. The slideshow below illustrates some ways I built a close-knit classroom family with my students while student-teaching.
Family and Community Engagement
During my student-teaching, I followed the Responsive Classroom model of morning meeting, which consists of four features: a morning message, a greeting, share time, and a whole-group activity. I also regularly added in a mindful moment to morning meeting so that students could get centered before we began the day. I plan to use morning meeting in my future teaching, because it provides a useful opportunity to touch base with my students.
Just as family members all must pitch in to ensure the house runs smoothly, so must members of our classroom family. Classroom jobs not only instill responsibility, they also teach students the value of contributing to a group. What's more, students feel helpful and important knowing our class is counting on them.
During the first week of school, my mentor teacher and I gave each child a brown paper bag and instructions for an "about me" bag. Students filled the bags with roughly 5 items that represented them. The students then shared their bags with the class. While sharing, each of our students felt special and important. Furthermore, the bags gave us insight into each child's interests and home life--valuable information that helped us paint a more holistic picture of our students.
During my student-teaching, I followed the Responsive Classroom model of morning meeting, which consists of four features: a morning message, a greeting, share time, and a whole-group activity. I also regularly added in a mindful moment to morning meeting so that students could get centered before we began the day. I plan to use morning meeting in my future teaching, because it provides a useful opportunity to touch base with my students.
In order for teachers to be successful, they must know their students. A huge part of knowing students is knowing their families and the broader community they come from. I think the easiest way for teachers to really get a feel for the families and community they're serving is to, whenever possibly, live where they work. Teachers will have a deeper understanding of the population they're working with if they go to the same grocery store, church, and library as their students. On top of that, families and communities are more likely to accept and support teachers if they know them and can trust them. When I am a full-time teacher, I hope to be able to live in the community I serve so that I can more meaningfully understand and engage with the issues facing my students and their families.
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Unfortunately, while I was student-teaching, living in the community I served was not an option. However, I was able to interact with the families and community in other ways:
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1. "Getting to Know You" Conferences:
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These conferences took place during the first couple weeks of school. They were an opportunity for parents to meet the teachers and brag on their kids, discuss their goals, and give the teachers any pertinent information regarding their kids. The conferences were a nice, low-pressure way to meet families and get a clearer picture of my students. Plus, I think they calmed parents' nerves about conferences before the heftier conferences at the end of the first quarter.
2. Home Visits:
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While student-teaching, I conducted a home visit with one of my students. It was an incredibly rewarding experience. I plan to use home visits as a way to engage with families once I have my own students, because I've seen how successfully they can bridge school and home. The home visit I conducted during my student-teaching also challenged me to recognize and confront an implicit bias I had. It certainly wasn't easy, but I believe the experience facilitated a great deal of professional and personal growth.
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3. Family Involvement in the Classroom:
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There were several times during my student-teaching when parents were invited to the classroom to see their student's hard work and celebrate their learning. I loved that the school welcomed and encouraged families to visit the school and take an active role in their child's learning. Below are some pictures taken when parents came to visit our classroom and teach students about different cities around the world.
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Click on the images to see them in greater detail