What Superpower Do You Want?
I have been asked what superpower I wish I could have multiple times throughout my life. I have never been able to come up with one superpower I would love to consistently have in my personal life, but I can tell you right away what I wish I could do in my professional life…
If I could have one superpower as an educator, it would be the ability to instantly screen a student who walks into my classroom and know exactly what I need to do in order to best meet that student where they are and ensure they are learning and growing. If I could know what a student needs right away, then I would be able to implement appropriate strategies and instruction without wasting any time.
Unfortunately, though, that isn’t how the process works. Instead, when a student tentatively walks into my classroom on their first day, I know there is a challenge ahead of me. I will spend the rest of the year pulling back layers and breaking down walls to recognize what a student needs before I attempt multiple ways to meet those needs, all while praying that at least one of them works. Sometimes I get to celebrate a victory. Other times I find myself back to square one.
“Sometimes I get to celebrate a victory. Other times I find myself back to square one.”
This is just one of the many challenging routines teachers go through day in and day out. We knew this was part of our role as an educator, but some days it can be incredibly frustrating. We are unable to completely put together the background and previous experience of a student. A strategy we try to build learning completely backfires in our face, despite the fact that it should work based on the information we have about that student. Despite what many of you may think, teachers don’t always know everything about a child or aren’t able to immediately implement what is going to be best for them. Oftentimes, what we are missing is practical insight into what has made and developed that child into who they are as they stand in the middle of our classroom.
“Oftentimes, what we are missing is practical insight into what has made and developed that child into who they are as they stand in the middle of our classroom.”
That is where parents or guardians come in. Parents and guardians have information that can be critical for determining how to handle a student or what strategies to put in place to help them learn and grow the best possible way. Now, I understand that many times in a foster care or adoption situation that parents and guardians don’t always have an abundance of information to share because they just don’t know the background or previous experiences their child has had. And in reality, teachers don’t need to know a complete history of a child to find the best ways to help. However, the key is open and ongoing communication between teachers and parents/guardians in order to share needed information to reinforce what is being done in the home and in the school building. Without this link between teacher and parents/guardians, ultimately it is the child that falls through the cracks and nobody involved with this child wants that to happen.
“However, the key is open and ongoing communication between teachers and parents/guardians in order to share needed information to reinforce what is being done in the home and in the school building.”
Over my next several blogs, I will be discussing some of those important pieces of information that need to be shared between parents/guardians and teachers to help create the best learning environment and opportunities. It is important to ensure teachers and parents/guardians are on the same page in order to provide the very best for children.
Before I share my thoughts, I want to hear from you.
- What do you think is important to share between teachers and parents?
- When do you think sharing information goes too far?
- Have you experienced a positive outcome when you worked hard to ensure the parents and the teachers were on the same page? Have you seen something like this go not so well?
I look forward to sharing more with you soon to help build that bridge between home and school.
