Partner with Families

Betty Boult, in her book 176 Ways to Involve Parents: Practical Strategies for Partnering With Families, she writes that "the key to parent involvement is demonstrating to parents that the school wants them to be a part of school life" (2006). I agree with this entirely because how often do you take part in areas of life that don't seem to want you involved in them? How much more likely are you to be involved in something that encourages you to be a part of it? Family involvement is very important in the education of a child whether that involvement takes place at home, at school, or through other events.

One great way to encourage families who often do not enter the school is to offer home visits. When a teacher is willing to go out of their way outside of school hours to meet families it says a lot about how much they value the family aspect of their students' lives.

Be sure than when parents are interested in being a part of the classroom and spend time volunteering that you are aware of their interests and dislikes. This way parents feel more comfortable and are doing more meaningful tasks because some parents become resistant to helping out when they are given less than meaningful tasks (Boult, 2006).

Finally, have open lines of communication. When you see parents, take the time out to make conversation and learn more about their lives. Thank them for their support, time, or skills that contributed to various classroom subjects, events, and so on.

Make the families feel appreciated and well cared for!