Parent participation is considered an important factor in how well children enjoy and learn in school.  I am always searching for the right combination of parent involvement activities that will (1) be of benefit to children’s academic growth and (b) provide parental support for my learning structures and activities.

Getting parents into the classroom is critical to increasing their understanding of how I teach.  I am fortunate to have as many or as few parents volunteering as I want or need.  It’s a non-intrusive way for them to experience what we do and how the children interact with each other and me.  It gives them the opportunity to ask me questions, make comments, or carry over learning from the classroom into the home.  It allows for the beginning of what becomes a yearlong dialogue.

In addition to welcoming parent volunteers, I do other things to build a bridge between home and school.  At the beginning of the year, I ask parents to write me a confidential letter (http://www.middleweb.com/MWLISTCONT/MSLmillionwords.html) that in “a million words or less” tells me about their child.  I give parents a list of topics they can address but mostly leave this activity fairly open ended; I want parents’ voices to come through so that I have another perspective - in addition to test scores, reading levels, and previous teacher comments - about the children in my care.  I hope you will find a way to use this idea in your classroom.  Please share if you do.