Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/the-reflection-connection-teachers-in-touch-with-families/5022852/
Teachers and administrators know how important relationships with families are to a child’s comfort level and learning, especially during those first days. More likely than not, during the first days of school teachers will have some jitters when meeting new families. Teachers will open their classroom doors to diverse families who have multiple strengths, needs, questions, concerns, and, of course, children eager for their first school experience. How can an early childhood program support teachers as they tackle the challenge of connecting with new families?
If ‘family’ is defined broadly, as those who care for and about us, most of us are members of a family. Families come in different forms and with different languages and cultures. We know from daily classroom experience, and from the work of developmental psychologists like Erik Erikson, that a child’s early learning is most successful when supported by high-quality relationships between families and teachers. Could an in-service training, focused on building relationships with families, inspire momentum for improving relationship skills back in the classroom? Yes!
The framework for an in-service might include asking staff to:
- get in touch with their own families through self-reflection, before and during a program-wide in-service. Ask staff to examine their role in their ...