Relationships. As educators we often talk about the importance of building relationships with children and families. We work hard at the beginning of the school year to get to know our students. We have kids and parents fill out surveys. We have students share pictures of their families and tell about themselves. Then, the hustle and bustle of the school year takes over. And, certainly not on purpose, it can be very easy for relationships to be pushed to the wayside.
We are faced with state mandates, standardized tests, SLOs, RTI, data team meetings, professional development sessions, teacher evaluations, progress reports, parent teacher conferences and much more. Let’s be honest, we get busy and something has to give, right? We are laser focused on helping our students grow and succeed. We want them to be the best they can be. But, we must remember that we cannot forsake relationships with our students and their families in the midst of everything else that we’re expected to accomplish during the school year. Next week, my teachers and I embark on a week of parent teacher conferences. This can be a stressful time for teachers as they prepare for 25 to 30 conferences with parents. However, it is important that we don’t lose sight of how important these meetings are to families and how crucial they can be for educators as we continue to build a bridge between school and home. As we move into conference week, I encourage us to remember:
As the great Maya Angelou said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
1 Comment
2/13/2017 06:49:43 am
Jacki, what a great reminder heading into PT conferences. I love what Todd Whitaker says "treat everyone as if they are good." Family conferences offers such an awesome opportunity to build or recover relationships with kids and we should not take it for granted in the face of the other demands placed on educators.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorI hope my blog posts inspire risk taking and new ways of thinking. I hope to connect with other educators on our journey to always do what's best for children. Archives
November 2017
Categories
All
|