Standard 7

	Standard 7. Family, Community, and Professional Partnerships in a Diverse Society
7.1	View students’ families as partners in their work
7.2	Understand that academic success is fostered by strong communication, shared goals and mutually reinforcing practices
7.3	Understand that motivation and sense of well-being in classrooms is supported by affirmation of students’ homes and cultures
7.4	Define professional responsibilities to include commitment to growth/development of colleagues, settings, profession & communities
7.5	Familiar with legal, ethical, and policy issues
7.6	Understand importance of advocating for children, families and themselves in a variety of professional, political and policy-making contexts.

            In order for a child to reach their full potential within a classroom, there must be a strong communication and partnership with the family or parents. I believe that this standard explains how a child can be successful within a school setting when the parents and teacher provide constant support for a child by maintaining solid communication with each other. Collaboration between home and school is accessible if both parent and teacher value the concept of communication within this relationship and are in agreement about feasible and tangible goals for the child.

            I believe this standard also includes the concept that educators should advocate for their students. By being able to advocate for others, a teacher will be able to help children develop into well-balanced, intellectual adults as well as positive members of the community. When a child is supported by an adult the child knows that he or she may accomplish anything that they set their mind to. Therefore, if an adult shows a child that they are important the child will be empowered.

            I believe this standard is important because it also explains how a teacher needs to be aware of her responsibilities for the children in her classroom. A teacher must understand that being a teacher requires more than just standing in front of a class teaching a lesson. At times, a teacher is a child’s only advocate and it is the job of the teacher to protect a child from an unhealthy environment, such as an abuse or unsafe home. A teacher must understand her legal roles in order to protect all of the children in her class: as well as protecting herself. By understanding how to take legal actions for specific situations (such as abuse or harassment) a teacher will learn the correct ways to handle these types of matters within a school setting.

            For a teacher to be an advocate for a child, the teacher must form a constant communication and strong relationship with the parents. A child’s home life provides a separate insight to the life of a child which may affect how a child acts within school. If a teacher can create a partnership with parents, than she is completely fulfilling her role as an educator. An educator who is dedicated to her job should understand that learning continues outside of the classroom. A student will also feel motivated to thrive within school if they are receiving support from both teachers as well as the student’s parents.

            Connoisseur teacher and advocator for children, Ellen Kronowitz (1996) is familiar with the importance of communication between home and the classroom,

Parents and teachers usually share equally the time children spend awake each day. If the right hand at home knows what the left hand is doing at school and vice versa, how much better both will be at understanding and doing the best for the child. Parent and teachers have a lot to offer and teach one another about a particular child, and a positive communication channel opened early and used regularly…is the key to success. (p. 98)

Once communication between parent and teacher becomes bonded, I believe a child has the ability to achieve success within and outside of the classroom. If a child feels comfortable, they will feel safe, take risks within the classroom and be more engaged in learning. Experts in public and private schools, Robert Rockwell, Lynda Andre, & Mary Hawley (1996) explain how children can prosper when  parent and teachers work together, “Teachers who develop a good rapport with their parents through short, frequent conversation find that they are better able to cope with the child’s needs, both academically and socially,” (p. 158).

            Standard 7.1 explains that educators should view a child’s family as their partner in their work. During my full practicum I reached out to parents in order to form a partnership. Before my leadership week, Artifact 7.1 is the letter I sent home in order to let parents know that I would be teaching their child for the week. I felt that if it was my responsibility, as a teacher, to inform the parents that there would be a change within the classroom.

            During my leadership week, I had a difficult first day managing the classroom. Four boys were misbehaving, not completing their school work, and making it difficult for other students to concentrate. One student, 'K', gave me an incredibly hard time to the point where I had to reach out to his mother. Artifact 7.2 is my journal entry explaining the situation I had with K as well as my conversation with his mother. His mother and I agreed that by not listening to his teacher he was not only being unsafe, but he was also not completing school work which needed to be finished.  I feel that I have met standard 7.3 because I was able to understand that K needed to understand that his mother and I had a communication and that we both had the same goal for K: to behave and focus on his school work within the classroom.

            Standard 7.5 explains that an educator should be familiar with the legal aspects within a classroom. During my full practicum (on a day supervising practitioner was absent) I was involved in an incident between two students. Within the class, there was one student who was mentally unstable but was not able to be placed into a correct facility until paperwork could be approved. Therefore, he was unpredictable and would disrupt the class with inappropriate comments and behavior sporadically. After antagonizing another student for a majority of the day the two boys became involved in a verbal argument which became physical. Artifact 7.3 is my journal entry from this day which explains how the fight broke out and how I responded initially. After the fight, I brought the two boys to the office where I asked what paperwork I needed to fill out. The office thanked me for following through on the incident and for handling the situation according to policy.

            I feel that I have a firm grasp upon this standard, because I value the concept of having strong communication and collaboration within a child’s home life, culture, and community. I feel that in the future I would like to become a stronger advocate for my students, as well as for myself. At times, I feel that I allow other people to take the lead and I will just follow behind them: afraid to take a step forward and make a mistake. I believe that I will need to remember that in order to be a strong educator I need to advocate for my students as well as for myself.

Works Cited

Rockwell, R; Andre, L; Hawley, M. (1996). Parents and Teachers as Partners: Issues and

            Challenges. Fort Worth, Texas; Harcourt Brace & Company.

Kronowitz, E. (1996). Your First Year of Teaching and Beyond (2^nd Edition). White 

            Plains, New York; Longman Publishers.