Educators value the involvement and support of parents, guardians, families and communities in schools.

During my 391 Practicum experience, I had the opportunity to be a part of a meeting with a student and parent for the purpose of getting the student back on track for graduation. The grade 12 student was present in the first class I observed as a part of the practicum, but was not present for the entire three weeks of my 25% teaching experience. After a few days of unexplained absences, the coaching teacher said she would call home. She explained that it is not unusual for a student to miss 3 days of school, but with the quarter system, they are missing more course content than they would in a normal semester system. Sometimes parents and students are not aware of this additional missed time and are overwhelmed when the student returns to school. She expected it to be a routine call, resulting in a reasonable explanation for the absences, and to see the student in class soon.

However, the situation was anything but routine, as there was no answer for several days, with the coaching teacher attempting to make contact on a daily basis. The school counselor was involved, and eventually managed to get through. A meeting was arranged for my last day of practicum, and since I had not found the opportunity to be involved in interactions with parents before, I asked if I might be able to attend to further my learning. All parties were consulted and amenable.

When the meeting began, it was explained that the student had missed almost a month of school, had not been passing when they stopped attending, and in combination with other circumstances was now in danger of not graduating on time. The student had thought there was no way to catch up, and had quit trying. As the counsellor, student, teacher, and parent talked through the situation, and worked to create options to ensure the student’s successful graduation, the tension in the room dissipated somewhat. The student, who had arrived with arms crossed and unwilling to make eye contact, assumed a more natural posture, leaning forward onto the desk and looking directly at the adults in the room when they spoke. The young person had regained agency and a measure of self confidence. The parent also seemed to experience a measure of relaxation, as the counsellor and teacher told them what an amazing young person they were raising. This relaxation signified to me that the parent seemed to need support too, along with their child. It was interesting to me how much the parent’s perspective of their child and the relationship between the teacher and their child seemed to regulate the tension levels of the conversation. As soon as the parent understood that the educators were on their child’s side, they were interested in finding workable solutions.

As a parent myself, this resonated with me and helped me to understand the importance of Standard 4’s requisite that “Educators understand, respect, and encourage the participation of families and communities in student learning and development” (BC Teachers’ Council 2019). This experience allowed me to see the substantial difference that it made for the student to have the adults involved come together for the purpose of ensuring their success. I could tell that both the student and parent felt uplifted and supported, as well as rejuvenated with a plan to move forward toward what had seemed impossible less than an hour previous. While I have no idea what the final out come will be, this situation also made clear to me the importance of communicating “effectively and in a timely manner with parents/guardians” (BC Teachers’ Council 2019), because if my coaching teacher had not tried to reach out and had not been so persistent in her efforts, the student likely would not be graduating this year. It occurs to me that the importance and power of not only following, but embodying  the edicts Standard 4 are crucial to student success, and therefore the success of every educator.

References:

BC Teachers’ Council. (2019, June 19). Professional Standards for BC Educators. Province of British Columbia. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/kindergarten-to-grade-12/teach/teacher-regulation/standards-for-educators/edu_standards_poster-11×17.pdf.