Supporting Family Engagement in the Midst of this Pandemic

The family engagement process has been deemed to be one of the most useful components to help bridge the gap between home and school.  There is research that puts forward the idea that the more family engagement there is present within a school or educational setting, the more student attainment there will be.

What happens when the school setting changes; 
when the roles of the teacher shifts more to the parents, and remote learning platforms are utilized—all to maintain educational successes at each student level? 

The long-term goal here is to continue to educate and help students to develop at their appropriate levels, which brings an immediacy to respond NOW and meet people where they are NOW!

As the world tries to adjust to social distancing guidelines, in the best interest of all stakeholders, schools have been ordered to close.  Transferring to remote and virtual learning platforms has provided an innovative solution to maintain learning while at home.

But how does the role of a teacher shift, NOW?

In recently viewing Angela Lee Duckworth’s TED talk on GRIT, she described teaching as being a demanding job! I cannot help but relate to her sentiments; and I am sure there are other educators that would agree to this.

As I let this sink in, I think about how much more of a demand the “role of teacher” will be as we switch over to remote learning solutions. It calls for even more demand of intentionality within our practices, to meet the needs of our students and their families, as the necessary human element of making connections to others can so easily be overlooked while utilizing technology as a learning platform or tool.

Angela Lee Duckworth says that in all of the very different contexts as she and her research team studied kids and adults in “super challenging” settings, there was one characteristic that emerged as a significant predictor of success: GRIT. 

-Angela Lee Duckworth via GRIT TED talk

So, if GRIT is a necessary characteristic to achieve success (which in my definition is “perseverance to create meaningful outcomes”), then it is necessary for teachers (anyone in the role of teacher: certified teachers, parents, guardians, siblings, friends, etc.), to utilize 

“intentional creativity” to support and maintain learning at home during this crisis and beyond.

I found the Intentional Creativity Foundation to be very insightful and contributive to my own professional development during this time.  Although this organization focuses more on the Arts, I believe the same concept applies to education, as teaching within itself is an art:

intentionalcreativityfoundation.org

So, one might ask: “What does supporting family engagement look like for our schools now?”

I’d say it should look like what it always should have been: relationship building and making connections to real life as it is for the individual. I'd even go as far as to say that one can even apply those real-life situations to create meaningful learning experiences—implemented with intentional creativity. 

My sister shared with me today a daily devotion taken from The Word for You Today, by Bob Gass, with contributions from "Power Thoughts", by Joyce Meyer. In the passage under "An Attitude Adjustment (2)" it read: "Sometimes your greatest blessings come from your most negative circumstances". I believe this with every part of me that this mentality applies to the hope that we have in these circumstances that we all face today; and it is important that we as educators model this mindset to support our families to engage in this same manner.

Shiloh Sophia couldn't have said it better: 

So, as educators, when we connect remotely/virtually, we must remember to utilize this innovative technology tool to reach beyond slideshows, worksheets, and busywork. Give students the chance to express themselves in the assignments you assign; offer families a flexible schedule to adjust to their new learning environments; and be transparent enough to let families know and feel we are in this together, so that they feel even more connected.

We must be intentionally creative to draw in students and families to tap into that persevering mindset that endures even in these challenging times; and that transforms hearts and minds of those families that were not engaged before the crisis to realize the importance of their personal commitment to a lifetime of learning and the success of their children.

We as educators must continue to self-reflect to adjust our teaching practices "impactfully".

We must get to know our families we serve, a little more, to create individualized learning plans that cater to their personal needs and makes room for the content that needs to be received and comprehended.

We must model that GRIT mentality so that all of our families can feel connected as we all are striving to achieve success in, out, and beyond school.