Each year, before the official day of classes, our school has set the day aside for student orientations. We meet the parents and students individually to get to know them, and for them to know their teacher prior to the first day of school. Not only does this help to relieve the stress and anxiety that our students could have with moving to a new grade, but it also allows me to start building a strong relationship with my students and parents.
In the past, our orientations have been more teacher directed: basically a relaying of information about grade 4, with only a small amount of time at the end to have a “real” conversation with our families. This year, we wanted to show our families how important their voices are, how we value our relationships with them, and how we want to build a strong classroom community. In turn, my grade level collaborated together to redesign the format of our orientations. Here’s how they looked instead:
Before our families entered the classroom for their meeting, they watched a video that we created, which highlighted features of grade 4.
Watching the video prior to our orientations eliminated the initial minutes of teacher talk, and instead allowed us to have an open discussion. From here, we created a 2017 Student Questionnaire as a way to get to know our students better. I wasn’t entirely sure about how these questions could turn out, with students generally being shy on the first meeting day. Much to my surprise every single student had a story, thought, or specific fact that really showed me something special about them, outside of academics. I even received several laughs from parents about the things that their child shared!
After opening the floor for any questions or comments from either the student or the parents, each family had their photo taken together. I intend to print and send these home as a family keepsake. My students were then given a little treat (label courtesy of Teachers Pay Teachers), and the parents were given a parent questionnaire to complete at home. I’m excited to see the responses that I receive back.
Through taking the time to redesign our orientations by putting community building first, we’re hoping to have long lasting benefits: That our parents will feel valued, our students will know that their voices count, and that our communication and relationships will continue to grow and develop.
Out With Erin 