Engages With the Community Outside the Classroom
Description of Standard: Teaching occurs within an existing community of adults – other teachers, counselors, special education teachers, coaches, administrators, and parents – who are invested in students’ success. Learning how to communicate and work with colleagues and how to follow building, district and state policies is part of learning to teach.
Abstract: Beyond their lesson planning and grading responsibilities, teachers also have to engage with the community outside the classroom. This means contacting and conferencing with parents and guardians, attending professional development sessions, reaching out to other teachers and support staff, and participating in school and extracurricular events. The artifacts on this webpage illustrate some of the ways that I have interacted with parents and guardians. What’s more, they also represent my commitment to my school's community and student success.
Newsletter for Greek Literature Unit
Both the newsletters were emailed to parents and guardians at the beginning of each respective unit. The newsletters introduce the units, provide a brief description of upcoming classroom activities/assignments, and inform parents and guardians where they may find our course texts and calendar. Additionally, these newsletters provided information regarding assignment assistance and notable dates within the second semester. Through these newsletters, I tried to reach out to the parents and let them know that I am available to support and assist their students. I refuse to ignore those students with a grade of “Incomplete,” and I hoped that this newsletter would make it clear that I am more than willing to take the time out of my schedule to help their students catch up.
Newsletter for Romanticism Unit
Teacher-Parent Email Communication
In addition to communicating with parents during parent-teacher conferences, I also maintained frequent communication with several parents via email. The screenshot below demonstrates my email correspondence with a concerned parent; she was worried because her student had not been completing his assignments and was falling behind in his class work. Through my responses, I tried to convey my willingness to assist the student, and I provided the parent with links and resources so she could help her student catch up at home. I also talked to this student daily to inquire about his missing assignments. Together, we supported the student’s learning and helped him to complete all his late assignments, leaving him in a good position to begin our next unit.
Student of the Month Ceremony: Letter to the Nominated Student*
The letter artifact below represents my participation in Haslett’s Student of the Month ceremony. The Student of the Month ceremony is a celebration of students’ accomplishments, and teachers are encouraged to nominate any student who has demonstrated exemplary participation, growth, and/or character. I nominated three students during my internship at Haslett, and I wrote each of them letters that explained why I appreciated them and enjoyed having them as my students. During the ceremonies, I talked to my nominated students’ parents and congratulated my students for their notable efforts and achievements. Teachers are not required to participate in the Student of the Month ceremony, but I believe it is important to acknowledge my students’ contributions and become more involved in my school’s community.
*To protect his privacy, I have removed the student's name from the letter.