A letter and survey to learn more about

students and their families

Reflection for TRB Standard 4 / Lisa Dumoulin

Standard 4: Educators value the involvement and support of parents, guardians, families and
communities in schools. Educators understand, respect and support the role of parents and the
community in the education of students. Educators communicate effectively and in a timely
manner with parents and consider their advice on matters pertaining to their children (TRB
Standards).

What evidence have I chosen to support this standard?

I have chosen to highlight a letter and short survey that I sent home with students before
beginning my spring practicum. The letter asked students and their caregivers to complete the
survey and to return it to me. In the letter, I introduced myself and shared some of my plans for
the class. Given that I was placed in a grade one classroom, the survey was written to caregivers
with questions that I hoped they could complete together with their child. A copy of the letter
and survey are linked under Evidence #1 for this TRB standard.

What did I learn in creating this piece of evidence?

I learned two key lessons in creating this piece of evidence.

First, it gave me an opportunity to practice creating a written communications piece geared to

parents and caregivers of my students. The survey was based on a published survey I had seen
in my course on assessment. I adapted it with the age of my students and the community
where they live in mind. I enjoyed writing the letter and tried to emulate some of the most
effective communication Ive seen other teachers use to build rapport and connections when
introducing themselves to a new group. I made sure to include some information about myself
as a person, as well as myself as a teacher. I also included information about what I hoped to do
as a teacher in their childs classroom. In a very practical way, writing the letter and survey
allowed me to practice writing in a way that is clear and approachable for parents and to have
this reviewed by my sponsor teacher and faculty advisor.

Second, receiving the completed surveys confirmed how valuable the involvement and input of
parents/caregivers and families is for me as a teacher. From the surveys, I gained insights into
individual students, and about the class as a group. Having parents and caregivers advice
about how to engage, comfort and refocus their child, allowed me to see each child from
another point of view and to use language in line with what children heard at home (e.g. to
comfort or motivate). I found their advice helped me to build connections with their children.
Further, learning about interests, strengths and stretches shared across students helped me to
plan how I delivered material and engaged students, as well as topics of interest to explore
content. For example, from the surveys, I learned that many of the children in the class enjoyed
hands-on activities such as arts, crafts and building. In response, I incorporated many creative
and manipulative-based activities in math and in writing to help anchor concepts and engage
the students.

How does this evidence relate to the TRB standard?

The survey is evidence that I values caregiver and family knowledge as a key resource each
childs education. The survey prioritized caregiver advice about supporting their child as a
learner and connecting with their child as a whole-person. The letter introducing myself is
additional evidence of this TRB standard because it established a tone of open communication
with the families and caregivers of my students.

Why is this standard important to me?

As a beginning teacher, I look forward to the future opportunities I will have to learn from and
work alongside caregivers, families and communities. This is important to me because it reflects
what I have learned in courses on decolonizing education, as well as courses on positive child
attachment/development, second-language acquisition, and assessment. It also reflects what I
have observed from my sponsor teacher. I admire the way she communicates with parents and
attempts to work together with them to try to better support individual children with learning
(such as reading), mental health (such as anxiety) or behavioural needs. For example, with
reading , she made regular appointments with certain parents to learn about the childs reading
practices in English, to update parents on the progress of their childs reading and to suggest
concrete ways it could be supported at home.

Further, children are part of their families and communities, and each childs education needs
to take place in relationship to, not apart from them. Just as our new curriculum encourages
educators to root learning in place, I also believe I need to root learning activities and content
in the context languages, family experiences, community structures of the children in my
classes. To do this, I need to keep open lines of communication with caregivers and families so
that they feel like valued parts of their childs education.

It is important to me that I start my career with this attitude and knowledge, because I know I
may also face challenging situations with families and caregivers over the course of my career.
Being able to incorporate and value the contributions of caregivers, families and communities
may feel at times like it makes my job more challenging and cumbersome. Ultimately, however,
it will ensure that I dont lose sight of my students as children who are part of these families
and communities and whose learning needs to reflect and enrich the lives of the people around
them. From this letter and survey, I have seen firsthand that parents or caregivers are
important team members and I need them to help me better reach and teach their child.