BLOG 4-PROMPT 5

Based on the classroom and school observations, if I were the teacher of this classroom some challenges that I might encounter in collaborating with parents of the students are time restraints if the parent(s) are working restricting hours or multiple jobs; if there are other children in the household, either taking them to a parent/teacher conference or being able to afford a babysitter may be difficult for the parent(s); transportation to/from school or community meetings; language barriers, money restrictions to buy or pay for materials or programs to help child's learning. These are some of the more physical challenges that I might encounter, but there are also several challenges emotionally and support-wise that I may face. Parent(s) or guardian(s) may not have the appropriate or enough education to be able to understand material to be able to help their children be successful. For example, if the parent or guardian is not fluent in reading they may not have the ability or knowledge to break down reading techniques like phonemic awareness such as isolating sounds, deleting sounds to form a new word, etc. Also, the parent(s) or guardian(s) may have the sufficient knowledge and understanding to support their child, but may not emotionally, morally or ethically be able to support their child. If the parent(s) or guardian(s) don't know how to or can't support their children educationally it could be because they never received the support growing up or because they don't know or have the appropriate and sufficient resources to do so. Also, the mindset and attitude behind the parent or guardian may also be difficult to work with. Some people have children, but never really wanted them so they aren't motivated to better their child's life. I see this a lot especially in my workplace. Where the parent(s) feel that their child was a "mistake" and the child ends up feeling unloved and difficult to work with or, for lack of a better word, spoiled. A lot of a child's success has to do with their home environment, parental involvement, support and resources. So parent(s) or guardian(s) I feel need to be there physically, mentally, emotionally and educationally.

Before I get into how I might address these challanges, let me first say that I do not understand or know what a teacher can or cannot do, ethically. I would say to help with the challenges of transportation, other children, or time constraints I would try to work around the parent's schedule. Maybe meet with them during a convenient time at a place closer to their home where they could walk to and bring the rest of their children; or arrange a free babysitting service in a public area, say if they do come to the school with their other children, have someone be able to watch the other children while I meet with the parent and student. Also, reach out to them with free tutoring programs in their area that may help their child be successful in school; I can try to help them understand how to be involved in their child's schooling experience especially with the challenges they may face. It may not come natural to them when trying to participate in their child's education. So when I do get to meet with them, by phone, email, letter or in person, I can help them understand the area(s) of difficulty their child faces, different ways to help them learn which are consistent with the classroom lessons but adjusted to the child's learning technique. If they can't be there for their child, I can help find tutors and programs that can be there, and if the parent or guardian can be there, I can help them understand what their child needs. The biggest issue would be the language barrier not with the student but with the parents. Since most of the children in the classroom are Hispanic, I would look into becoming fluent in Spanish, which is what I am interested in doing anyway. In the end, if the parent or guardian can't come to us, we should be able to go to them.

However, some of these ideas, offering so much help in understanding what their child needs, may come across to them as if I perceive them as incompetent or disabled. That is the complete wrong perception. Of course first I would want to get to know the child, the parents or guardians, the family, the environment, the support system etc. Being a teacher you sometimes have to incorporate Social Work attitudes and interests. I think it's selfish of us to ask the family and the student to adapt to us, I feel as if we should adapt to them and help them be successful in school and in the future in their every day life. We have to understand the family values and traditions; their language, their restrictions and challenges they face as a family. We must respect what the family wants for their child, how they prefer to go about achieving goals that we both have in common for the student and child. Everyones life is different, not all parents or guardians will be as available to their children as others, so in those cases, we must bridge that gap and still provide options and opportunities for everyone to be successful and happy.