Response to Post#5

5) The culturally competent teacher involves and works with families and community resources, understanding the differences in families, the important influence of family participation in students’ learning, and the benefit of collaborating with the wider school community.
Imagine that you are the teacher of this classroom. What challenges might you encounter in collaborating with the parents of your students? How might you address these challenges? How might you demonstrate respect for the concerns or contributions of parents?

Imagining that I am the teacher of the classroom I am volunteering is both an exciting yet nerve-racking idea.  From just the two or three weeks I have been volunteering, I have noticed and been told by the teacher the lack of support from parents of certain students.  In example, not signing permission slips, making sure their children get their homework done and even just helping their children outside of school with various tasks.  Therefore, if I were to take over this class I would have the extra challenges of a teacher to make sure students are responsible enough by themselves in second grade to make sure they are studious and do their homework.  As well as making extra notes home, phone calls, emails to make sure parents sign permission slips.  This topic reminds me of the conversation we had in class whether or not to teach home economics.  I feel that in a situation where young children often have to take care of themselves after school, that home economics in the classroom is very important.  So imagining myself as a teacher to take over this class, I would definitly start adding components of home economics into my lesson plans.  Especially, topics like responsibility, studying tips, maybe even cooking, etc.  Nothing too challenging for second graders but teaching home economics in a way that fits the already set criteria and standards that we need to meet by the end of second grade. 

I understand that many of these parents work late or  have two jobs because of there economic status.  I respect that and will make that clear through parent teacher meetings in the beginning of the year.  To help parents become actively engaged with their children, I might set up a blog or send a newsletter home to them.  Which would describe the events, reminders and what we are currently learning in the classroom.  I will also offer a day afterschool each week that any student is struggling with their work to come for extra help.  This will relieve some of the pressure the parents have of having their student do well in school and are unable to help them due to other reasons.  It's hard to imagine other ways when I am just imagining working with the students parents that I am volunteering because I dont know each individuals background, I only know the school as a whole from infoworks.