This week in my practicum with NCVPS, we focused on communication between teachers, students and parents. We talked about what an eLA is and why its very important to work very closly with our eLA.
NCVPS is very strict on communication. We must keep a communication journal and keep very detailed notes on any and all levels of communication, even communication through email. Students are to be contacted the weekend before school starts. This is called a "welcome call". These welcome calls are used to gather more information, like parent email, alternate phone numbers, etc.
We also learned how to handle different situations that may require intervention. For example, what to do if a student is in danger of harming themselves or being harmed. If a teacher thinks that a student needs intervention, is it very important to call the instructional director and instructional leader, given it is immediate danger. Email will suffice if there is no threat for immediate danger.
My favorite part of this weeks discussion was the communication scenarios. Were we given scenarios where we had to talk about how we would handle them while staying true to NCVPS standards/protocols.
I'm going to place the questions below (paraphrased versions). You tell me how you would have responded.
1. You have a student with low skill levels. She usually takes a long time to work through her assignments, but all of a sudden, she is submitting work that far exceeds what you know her ability to be. You have a strong suspicion someone may be doing the work for her. How do you proceed?
2. You are connecting with parents. You reach a parent of a student who is immediately rude and standoffish on the phone. In fact, she tells you, “I have given up on her. Please do not call me again.” How do you proceed in supporting this student and parent?
These are both very tough questions. I think I would definitely discuss with my eLA before proceeding in each case. With the suspicion of cheating, I may opt to contact the parents and inquire if they have invested in tutoring or are finding her comprehension has increased by doing homework with her. This also brings them on board in the event that they have not invested in her improvement and may be able to lead the discussion in shady activity.
ReplyDeleteWith the latter scenario, of a parent who has "given up" on their child... first I would need to recover from the anger masking the heartbreak at the very idea. Even an adult child continues to require parental support and feedback in the realm of self-esteem and belief. I would create a mandatory face-to-face meeting with the parent where I had my eLA on back-up to be brought into the meeting if necessary. In this time I would open the floor to discussion about personal challenges in the home and how we can facilitate the obvious potentials for human growth present in all situations. I would talk to the parent about brain development and how the human brain continues to develop into the late 20s and how it is imperative that our youth are able to access a source of positivity in the home. This opportunity could also be utilized to discuss creating a clear space in the home for studies and how the parent can also use the space for reading or learning a new hobby, in order to lead the way in an effort to solidify the belief in the home that learning is a life long process. In conclusion of the meeting, even if the parent continued to be negative and resistant, I would send home some materials for potential perusal in the home environment and invite the parent to reach out at any time with concerns or ideas about engaging their child in learning. Even when our efforts appear futile, the intentions we set carry energy into our surrounding environments.
Good luck with your studies and the myriad of parents you'll encounter along the path of teaching!