MMM 15 -synthesized

Abstract:
Chapter 15 in Meet Me in the Middle discusses the importance of involving parents in their students’ education. Here Wormeli coins the term “student/teacher/parent triad” (172) to describe the necessary open communication between all three parties –parents are a vital ingredient in the recipe of student success because students’ learning does not only occur inside school grounds. Wormeli also stressed the idea of sending out postcards to parents whose children have done something positive; this shows them that we are paying attention and we appreciate student effort and work. So often, news is only sent home for bad behavior or trouble in class; these postcards help students’ success by highlighting the things they do well. Wormeli gives several suggestions that are both digital and non-digital to accommodate families that may not have internet access; it is important to be flexible so that all parents can be involved. Schoolnotes.com, blackboard.com and myclass.net are a few internet sites that serve similar functions as a wiki; parents and students can access it anywhere to look up homework, notes from class, directions for upcoming projects, quizzes/tests, and grades. Email is also a great way to communicate. For families who do not have computers at home or internet access, mailing out newsletters, making home visits and inviting parents to the classroom are ways to keep communication open and parents involved.

Reflection:
Everyone seemed to find this chapter useful; it gave several suggestions for communicating with parents and students at home. This open and understanding relationship between parents, teachers and students helps ensure student success by making expectations known to all parties involved, which in turn avoids “he said, she said” situations. Many of us seemed to have our sights set on having a wiki in our classroom to serve this purpose, but this chapter helped open our eyes to other ways of communicating and involving families that do not have access to the internet.
There were some concerns, however. A few people did not like the idea of giving out home phone numbers or personal email to students because to do so would force us to walk a thin line. This can be a) overwhelming for us as teachers because young students may take advantage of it and call us with every little problem, and b) asking for trouble in that it can be seen as inappropriate, or escalate quickly to that end. Another concern a few people expressed was that still not all parents would become involved in their child’s education, and what can we do? What other ways can we get parents involved? And then there is the idea that students need to be weaned off parent “helicopters,” that parents should only get involved to a certain degree, and that students need to be held accountable and take some responsibility for their work and their education.