Establishing Relationships in the Classroom

When I first began teaching, I was so hesitant and nervous to interact with the parents of the students in my classroom. I wasn’t a young teacher; I began my teaching career when my children were elementary school age, which had me at the same age as many of the parents of my classroom. As I reflect back upon that time, I felt the education program where I was trained as a teacher did not emphasize parental involvement as much as this diploma course does, therefore I felt ill equipped to see the importance of developing and maintain those relationships. As a parent of children who have gone through the school system, I remember fondly the teachers that embraced my presence in the classroom. I thoroughly enjoyed being part of their education, helping and being involved in whatever way needed. Remembering how I felt when I was valued as an importance piece of the puzzle stays at the forefront of my mind as I go about the school year and establishing a sense of community in my classroom.

Flash forward 15 years, with 6 of those years in Kindergarten, and I see the value and importance of creating a caring classroom that respects the students, their families and the surrounding community. I have come to value that “consistent, secure, responsive and respectful relationships with caring adults are vital to children’s well-being” and to their academic success. (BC Early Learning Framework, pp15) In order to establish the caring and responsive relationship, I need to start in my classroom first and with the students that I have been privileged to guide and nurture. Respect from the parents is gained when I first respect and value their child.

Creating a classroom community is vital to a responsive relationship. It is not only developing a relationship with each student but it involves creating a classroom physical environment that is warm and nurturing. The 3rd teacher is not only important for allowing the classroom to teach and spark inquiry but in creating an environment that is filled with “warmth and beauty.” (Booth).  

We also start the year off by focussing on our names, who we are, and ourselves.  We celebrate what makes us unique. I focus on what it means to be a respectful listener, how we not only listen with our eyes and ears but with our hearts. We focus on how our heart is what helps us understand and show empathy. We learn the routines so that students know what is expected of them. We learn about emotions and how we can control them and where we can go in our classroom to calm our bodies and minds. I work on setting the foundations for sharing and caring.  We have our self-portraits hung up all year, our work; our ideas are on the wall. We also create a family portrait gallery wall so we have a visual reminder of our family. The students help create our calendar and our alphabet. They have access to all the materials in the room, which gives them a sense of ownership and belonging. “When home and community is reflected in the classroom” students feel like they belong. (Full Day Kindergarten Guide)

While I am establishing relationships with the students, I am working on engaging the parents and families. Within the first few weeks, I conduct intake interviews with each parent(s) and we get to know each other and they can tell me about their child. I have them write their wish for the child that gets displayed on our tree. This is a time where I share my teaching philosophy along with what is expected in Kindergarten, so parents understand that learning takes place while their child plays.  I try to respect that “every family has unique social, cultural resources and strengths that can contribute to early learning.” (BC Early Learning Framework, pp15) I also have the parents fill out a questionnaire so I can get a sense of their cultural background and any special talents they may have. I make note of that so that when we look at traditions we can have parents come in and share their perspectives. We also invite our parents to share their special talents for various activities throughout the year.

Throughout the year I make an effort to communicate with parents consistently through a variety of ways.  I used Freshgrade to communicate students’ learning that is ongoing. With Freshgrade, I am able to encourage discussion between the parents and their child about the learning that is taking place. For day-to-day communication I use a variety of ways. I use my classroom window as a bulletin board where newsletters from the school and notes from me are posted. On my door, our calendar and volunteer sign-up is held. To send quick messages to the parents and where they can respond to me quickly, I use Remind. Remind is an app that allows for communication using texting but numbers are private. I work on creating a trusting two-way relationship with the parents by making sure I am accessible any questions or concerns they may have. I also try to chat with parents after school. This month, I open the door to volunteers in my room. I have parents come in to help prep, work with students, assist with literacy centers and our Forest Friday. We also hold special events where parents can contribute snacks or attend field trips.  

As I move along in my teaching journey, and as I narrow down my teaching philosophy and get more confident in implementing it in my classroom, I find I am more confident in creating a warm, safe, inclusive environment that both the students and their parents can feel welcome and cherished. I feel like I have been successful in establishing that in my classroom as I have students and parents from last year come and visit me after school! 

Please see following post: Welcome to Kindergarten for information on beginning kindergarten and how I communicate with parents.

References:

Berger, I. (2014). Research into Practice: The Importance of Fostering Social and Emotional Development in the Early Years. Research into Practice, Volume 3

Booth Church, E. (2003). Building Community in the Classroom. Scholastic. Retrieved from: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/building-community-classroom/

Hoelscher, J. Cultivating Family Connections. Highscope Extensions, 25(1), 1-10.  

Province of British Columbia, British Columbia Ministry of Children and Family Development. BC Early Learning Framework, (2007) pp 13-34

Province of British Columbia, British Columbia Ministry of Education. Full Day Kindergarten Program Guide, (2010) pp 42-47