Educators value the involvement and support of parents, guardians, families and communities in schools.

It takes a village….

When it comes to the understanding and application of standard four in my teaching practice I have the view that it takes a village to create a holistic educational experience. In my understanding, as educators, our role is to be a part of the educational system that can help individuals reach their potential and hone needed skills for life. When I think of this system I visualize a machine, somewhat like an engine that is fueled by learning that propels the student forward. But, the educator is obviously not the only part of this machine, all the other key players are a part of this machine as well as standard four alludes to. I believe that the role of the family and outer communities in a learner’s journey are crucial parts of this metaphorical machine.

When it comes to how I have seen and enacted this standard during my practicums thus far I believe that I have acted in such a way that honours my thoughts above. Starting with things as small as greeting parents at the door at dismissal, to making those emails or phone calls to reach out and meetings with families; I believe this is where the connection begins. Given that we have been taught since the beginning of this program that relationships matter, for myself, it only makes sense that for the benefit of the learner this extends to their familiar community as well. As stated above, as a teacher candidate I have only really engaged in the day-to-day interacting with families but one practice that I really did admire of my last coaching teacher was to do a weekly learning journal. In this learning journal, students would cover one major topic that they had learned that week that would go home to parents every Friday. I liked this practice because it was something that happened so frequently and consistently that it promoted parents to actively reply back and engage in their child’s learning. This is a practice I would like to adopt for myself. When it comes to outer communities beyond the family I have yet to have a major experience with that as far as including people from the community. Having said that I have had the opportunity to really tailor the learning of my students to our local community with our activities. For example, I presented my students with a lesson on culture and what types of culture we see in our community. This is a standard that I really value and want to continue to deepen my practice of it moving forward.