The article Every Mark on the Page has got to be one of my favorite articles we have read so far because it deals with one of the very things I am most afraid of for my future teaching.... parents. It's not secret that some parents have their "angel" goggles on when it comes to their kids; they feel that their child can do no wrong, academically or socially, in the classroom. The article does a great job of what teachers can do to communicate with parents and family members about their child's writing levels. A big thing we need to help parents realize is the importance of age levels and where exactly their child should be at that particular point in time. It's all too common to see a parent who's child is at a perfectly normal writing level get worked up that he or she is not advancing faster. This could end up seriously discouraging the child both in the classroom and at home.
One of the biggest points to take away from this article is a note about mistakes.... that children SHOULD make them! Mistakes within a student's writing are not only learning points but are inevitable! Both teachers and parents have to be careful when focusing on this idea. Without these mistakes that the children are making, there is no platform to grow from. By discouraging these mistakes we are discouraging their growth and learning as a writer! The article then goes into ideas of how teachers can empower their students and family members to support their young writers. I really liked the idea of an open house method, where the adults are shown sample works of writing and given resources to help their home-work with their child. This is a great way to expose parents to not only some of the child's writing, but other anonymous works to give parents a wider range of what exactly writing at that age looks like. I also think this is a great way to empower the child into something he or she can be proud of their writing with. I remember in one of our classes we did a read aloud of a book where a student hated his drawings until someone put them on display, at which point he became proud of his work. Thats all a student needs; a little reinforcement that their parents and teachers want to see what they put so much work into.
Bri, it's so funny that you mentioned parents being one of your biggest fears of being a teacher...mine too! I think a lot of use have either seen or heard about instances in which parents can be a bit overwhelming and I definitely agree that this is a scary thing to have to think about dealing with in the future. I think your idea that simply communicating with parents and making sure they are well informed about where their students are socially and academically, and where they should be is great! If teachers can give parents reassurance that their children are reaching milestones then they will be less likely to get into that scary parent mode. It's also great that you commented on the concept that mistakes should happen; this too should be something teachers make sure to communicate with parents. Great post!!
ReplyDeleteBrianna,
ReplyDeleteYour post was very informative and you did a great job of touching base on the important aspects of the chapters. I agree with you and think the open house is not only a great way to communicate with the parents but to work together on goals for the student! It reminds me of the blog idea we discussed in Stacy's class so that the parents can be updated throughout each week. Great job with your post and keep up the awesome work!
Jared Weisberg
Bri, you're not alone! I think a lot of teachers fear parents :). Hopefully as the years go on we will get more used to talking to parents and develop a really great sense of what to say to them! I also really liked how you mentioned that a child should make mistakes! It is definitely true and mistakes are really good teaching points and things that every human learns from. It kind of sounds bad but if you think about it, it is absolutely true.
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