Encouraging Community Involvement In Our Schools

I looked at my elementary school and high school's webpage but I could not find many resources to help me, so I will have to respond based on my memory. I remember that in Jr. High we did have an event where we invited all the elderly people in our community to a get together in the high school. We served them snacks, and drinks. We played music and danced with them. We also just sat and talked with them. It was a chance for us to connect with the elders in our community and a chance for them to get out and socialize with others, with the youth, and to see the high school. The students and the elders really enjoyed it. I also remember having the local fire department and police department come in and do a mock accident. Where there would be a crashed vehicle and some of our classmates would be done up in make-up to seem wounded or deceased, and the rescue team would come onto the scene and treat it just like it was real while everyone watched. It was actually really scary a lot of people cried because it seemed so real. I felt like that humanized us with the police officers and fire fighters, and also taught us important things to keep in mind when making decisions and driving. I also know that they have school board meetings to discuss activities going on in the school. I had to go sit in on one for a class. It was kind of boring at the time, and I felt like it was very formal. I recognized most of the people on the board as my classmates parents. I remember them discussing issues they needed to address, how to solve problems such as transportation to events and feeding the athletes. So although it wasn't interesting to me four years ago it would be interesting to sit in on one now and listen to what they talk about. These are just a few of the programs I could think of, I'm sure if I needed to go more in depth I could call the principal and talk to him about it, but for now I think this is good enough. One more thing I noticed. During our sports games, for all sports actually they weren't too biased, the community really came together and cheered on our school. They wrote on the windows of local businesses, they put up signs in their yards, our crowds were humungous even at away games. They also bought shirts from us and helped us during fund raisers. So I feel as though we really connected through our sports they were very supportive there. 

As far as improving our involvement with the community, I think that the schools could update their websites more often. They seem very out of date, and I wasn't able to find many things involving the community and school, so that may be one way of reaching out. Although I do remember (sorry I keep remembering) during the Parke County Bridge Festival (which is a very big deal where I live) we actually got days off of school to go work at the festival. We worked booths for the school to raise money, we could become tour guides during the festival, and the small country roads became so crowded that it was probably the best thing to do anyways, because most people would skip to go there anyways. But I also remember taking time out of the classroom to go out to some of the Covered Bridges and learn about the history of them, so that we were able to better understand our community and why these historical bridges were so rare, and important. So I think for the most part our school did a good job involving the community with the school. I'm not sure what it is like there now, but I think as far as the economy is going and our environment in general I would definitely encourage them to start a strong recycling program for the students. I would bring that up in school board meetings, and take people with me that would agree. Find a place where we could get the money and resources to carry out the project and get the community involved as well, which would strengthen the bond and importance of the project between the community and the school. I don't remember many tutoring programs while I was there, although it could be different. That could also be brought up at meetings. Maybe some parents could car pool after tutoring to help out everyone else, or maybe they could even come in to work with the children on homework after school. I also think it was a good idea to ask the parents to take turns and make sure that the athletes had something to eat before the big game that night. Another thing they should discuss is making sure they are feeding them appropriate food not junk. Parents were also asked to be volunteer chaperons and the Prom and Post-Prom. I actually did see a scroll across on the high school website for that. The parents get together and raise money for the Post-Prom. They run the activities, they plan the theme, they come up with prizes to win. The Juniors and in charge of raising money for the actual prom. So I think involving the parents in such an important part of the students lives was a great choice. They were able to help keep everyone safe and enjoy just watching us. 

Ways that I could get my ideas into the hands of the right people and get the ball rolling would be: 1. Talk to the principal about my concern and ideas of how to fix it. 2. Make other teachers aware and ask them to get involved. 3. Speak to resources throughout the community that could assist me, and would benefit from the experience. 4. Get the information out to parents so that I would be able to get people that agree with me to back me up. 5. I would also make sure that I have a lot of resources and strong claims to back me up, especially if it something not everyone will agree on, if I can prove that it has helped other students and will benefit our students and community then I will have a strong argument for that. 6. Take my ideas to the board meetings. 

I'm sorry that my ideas seem so scattered I just started writing and ideas came whenever. I hope this is what you wanted :)

Parent Teacher Conference Reflection

I felt very nervous before the "conference" which is normal. I tried to take it as seriously as I could. The hardest part I found was thinking on my feet and giving information that was not only true, and beneficial but being careful to not offend the parent. I think that the more experience I get in the classroom, and get to know the students and their families it will become easier for me to interact with them, at least that's what I'm hoping. I hope I will know more of what to expect from individual families, and understand how each child adapts best and reasons for their behaviors. I'm still afraid that I will feel intimidated around the parents but I hope that will not be the case. Hopefully I will become even more confident in my work and will not lose my words and wisdom when I need them most. Overall it was a beneficial experience. I think it would have been interesting to sit in on a parent-teacher conference maybe I will get that opportunity when I student teach. I also noticed that my job will never be easy, I will always have lots of work. I will constantly need to be creative, and constantly have homework. While I was doing the behavior log, agenda, and strategies list I thought of how much time and effort it will be on my part to make sure that I watch each and every child in my classroom and take notes on their behavior. Especially if I have over 20 students. I'm sure the first few years will be difficult but hopefully I will be able to work out a system that works and will benefit everyone.

Alcoholic/Drug Abuse Families

Watching the video gave me insight on some of the side effects of meth, what it does to your body, and the statistics are absolutely frightening. I think that as a school it would be very important to make sure that you are actively participating in making sure that everyone is keeping their eyes and ears open for alcohol/drug abuse families, or students. If we do find ourselves in a situation we can work together to get the family help. Getting the child out of the environment, helping the adult get the help that they need, and helping the child to cope and get all the help they need as well. As a school it is important to have programs in place educating the children on how bad drugs and alcohol are for them. How it ruins families and messes up your body, and that it's a very hard habit to kick. Even though we educate them on the consequences of alcohol and drugs some will still experiment and we should be aware enough to save them from themselves, and get their families actively involved in helping them fight the temptations. 

As far as children in my classroom, ideally I would be in a Kindergarten classroom but I probably will not get that lucky, I can educate my children the best I can. I can make sure that I get to know them personally and be able to look for differences in case they are suffering at home from guardians that are abusing substances, or if they are abusing themselves. I would like to hope that if I got to know them and became a trusting adult that I could help them through that. I think any time you have any sort of problems it's going to be hard for the family, and it will always effect the child. So it is very important that we are aware of each child individually. Become aware of their home life, their personality so that we can watch for warning signs of changes, and ways that they communicate best. Just getting to know your students and making sure that your school cooperation agrees on the importance of substance abuse awareness and taking charge of problems are the best ways you can handle this sort of situation. 

Teacher vs Poverty

Being in poverty and being homeless for our youth is a serious issue that plays out every single day, in the number one place where it shouldn't have to, America. We are suppose to be known as "The Land of Opportunity" and so many people come here to do just that but because we have our priorities all messed up we have wrecked that image. We have more poverty than any other country, and we shouldn't. We are the "richest" country, but yet we are not. Our youth is suffering dramatically which in turn is effecting each generation and then into our economy. Our children should be able to grow up in America and live out their dream just like we promote to other countries. But with poverty their dreams become shattered, and it's not their fault. They are forced to grow up and become responsible, letting go of all the normal opportunities that all children should get. We aren't helping ourselves if we can not help these kids, if they aren't capable of getting through high school and into college, and getting a decent job then we are just spinning in a continuous circle that has got us where we are today with the economy, in a recession. Being homeless takes away hope for our children, hope that they will someday live a "normal" life. It takes away dreams of becoming better than what they see around them. It takes away opportunities for them to do so, it takes away from their self esteem and ability to build strong relationships and to learn how to live in a functional society. They have to constantly fight every day to stay alive, whether it be begging on the street, or stealing a loaf of bread. Once someone has lived this way for so long, it is very hard to undue all the damage that has been done. Our children deserve a chance to be whatever they want to be in life. They deserve the opportunity like everyone else to go to college, become the next president, get married, and have a family while living comfortably. They did not ask for this life style so they shouldn't be punished or limited for being in the situation. 

As a teacher we could become actively involved in the homeless shelters in our community, and doing all that we can to help out. We can educate our children on the situation and give them opportunities to help out as well. We can also recognize families in our class that need extra help and do all that we can to support them and make sure that they get the same opportunities as everyone else. Just because they don't have the money to go to the play, or to the museum field trips doesn't mean that they shouldn't be able to go. We will supply for those children to go and get the same experience as their classmates because their deserve it, and it's not their fault. Giving our families helpful resources, and getting them involved just like all the other parents makes them feel welcome and equal to everyone else not less then. As teachers we should be aware of such situations and don't allow that to interfere with the children's education and opportunity to develop. 

Why did you want to be a teacher?

When I was in kindergarten I had a wonderful teacher by the name of Mrs. Dellmo. Mrs. Dellmo was soft spoken, understanding, and encouraging, she was the best teacher I ever had. Mrs. Dellmo would always get onto me about biting my nails, and she promised me that if I would just let my nails grow out she would buy me whatever color nail polish I desired. I tried very hard all year but could never accomplish my goal. As I moved on to first grade, then second grade, Mrs. Dellmo would still catch me in the hall or at lunch and ask to see my nails, but as usual they were always bit down. All through elementary school I tried not to bite my nails so that when, out of the blue, Mrs. Dellmo would check my hands she would be proud of me and praise me for my accomplishment, because it was always a sought after goal to win her approval. But as the years passed by I got caught up in high school, with the boyfriends, sports, work, prom, and friends. I forgot about Mrs. Dellmo's kindergarten class and devout promise to me concerning my bad habit, until one day I had got news that her and her daughters had been on a family vacation and got into an accident and were in very bad condition. I'll spare you the horrifying details of her accident, but know that if she survived, she would never really be the same. I prayed and prayed for her and her daughters, and remembered all the time and effort that Mrs. Dellmo put into each and everyone one of us children to make us better people. And I decided then that I was definitely going to stop biting my nails, and if I got to see Mrs. Dellmo again I was going to show her that I had finally overcome the bad habit and that I was ready to accept her gift. It happened one day while I was at work in Applebee's. Mrs. Dellmo and one of her daughters came in for lunch and I almost jumped over the podium to hug her. I told her that I was so excited to see her, and so thankful for her recovery. She looked at me with the same excited expression and asked to see my hands, for a moment my heart dropped but as I placed my hands in hers she beamed up at me. Brittany your nails are so long and beautiful! I thanked her, and she asked me, "So what nail polish color are you wearing these days?" I told her I didn't care whatever color she chose would be fine. A few days letter she came in with a small bag and handed it to me. Inside was the treasured nail polish in a petal pink, and a small note that told me how proud she was of me. That was one of the best days ever, there was nothing you could do to wipe that smile off my face. Twelve years later I had finally accomplished the goal she wanted for me, but in a way I think it was even more than just the nail biting. She had watched me grow all these years, and helped remind me to be the best person I could be and always do the right thing. I think any teacher who can make such an impact on a five year old is a worthy inspiration in my book. I decided from then on that I wanted to make a difference in a child's life, to have such an impact that they remember me and all the lessons I taught, not just in the classroom, for the rest of their lives. Someone they look up to and always aim to please. Even today as I do my observations and community service I call up Mrs. Dellmo and ask to come to her kindergarten class where she continues to touch young children's lives everyday.