When I hear the word diversity, my mind automatically thinks of ethnicity or socioeconomic status. While these factors are present among my students, the biggest form of diversity I see is parent involvement and support. Both areas take on a variety of forms.
Parent involvement.
This ranges from the "has no idea what's going on in their child's life" to "hover parent". In my opinion, both extremes are detrimental to the student's growth and learning. The first tells the student that school is not important. The second places a suffocating amount of pressure on the student to the point of rebellion or resentment. Sadly, many of my students fall in one of these two extremes. It is rare to find a student somewhere in the middle. A student who is held responsible for their work but also given encouragement and guidance along the way.
Parent support.
This ranges from full to none. Thankfully I don't see many students who are completely void of parental support. But what does "full" parent support look like? I feel old saying this but, when I was in school, parents supported the teacher and their child. Now I often feel that parents support their child over the teacher. It's not that this is entirely bad, but I do often see parents who will defend their child no matter what (even if it is ridiculous). The parents I love to see are the ones who hold their student to high expectations while providing them with the love and support to figure out who they are and how to be successful. This type of parent is not the norm.
My questions.
How can I support all my students without showing favoritism? Is it possible to do without totally draining myself emotionally, mentally, and physically? What are ways that I can more clearly convey to my students that I'm here, wanting to encourage and support them not only in math but in becoming successful young adults?
The next step.
I by no means have figured this out. Outside of school, one thing I do to keep parents in the loop is send out frequent email updates. I also keep my website and homework calendar up to date. Parents are able to check their student's grade but I will also contact parents if I am concerned about their student's performance. This has worked pretty well so far but there are still students who slip through the cracks.
In school, I try to make my classroom a safe place but also a place that expects students to do their best. I am a warm and encouraging person by nature. However, my students know they can't get away with slacking off. I've tried to create a balance between high expectations for their work and actions and supporting the students as people. I can't totally fill in the gaps left by the parents, but I'm going to try my hardest!
Parent involvement.
This ranges from the "has no idea what's going on in their child's life" to "hover parent". In my opinion, both extremes are detrimental to the student's growth and learning. The first tells the student that school is not important. The second places a suffocating amount of pressure on the student to the point of rebellion or resentment. Sadly, many of my students fall in one of these two extremes. It is rare to find a student somewhere in the middle. A student who is held responsible for their work but also given encouragement and guidance along the way.
Parent support.
This ranges from full to none. Thankfully I don't see many students who are completely void of parental support. But what does "full" parent support look like? I feel old saying this but, when I was in school, parents supported the teacher and their child. Now I often feel that parents support their child over the teacher. It's not that this is entirely bad, but I do often see parents who will defend their child no matter what (even if it is ridiculous). The parents I love to see are the ones who hold their student to high expectations while providing them with the love and support to figure out who they are and how to be successful. This type of parent is not the norm.
My questions.
How can I support all my students without showing favoritism? Is it possible to do without totally draining myself emotionally, mentally, and physically? What are ways that I can more clearly convey to my students that I'm here, wanting to encourage and support them not only in math but in becoming successful young adults?
The next step.
I by no means have figured this out. Outside of school, one thing I do to keep parents in the loop is send out frequent email updates. I also keep my website and homework calendar up to date. Parents are able to check their student's grade but I will also contact parents if I am concerned about their student's performance. This has worked pretty well so far but there are still students who slip through the cracks.
In school, I try to make my classroom a safe place but also a place that expects students to do their best. I am a warm and encouraging person by nature. However, my students know they can't get away with slacking off. I've tried to create a balance between high expectations for their work and actions and supporting the students as people. I can't totally fill in the gaps left by the parents, but I'm going to try my hardest!
This is an excellent thing to think about. Parental support is huge in terms of diversity that makes a difference in the classroom, and the cumulative effects make it more so as years go on.
ReplyDeleteMy best answer to differentiation for this is the Gradual Release of Responsibility. Students at different points of that continuum get different levels of support in class, rather than working on different assignments or more or less work. Students can self choose, or you can form groups by support needed.
It does make it essential that the learning is not HW, though. Has to happen in class.
To be an exemplar, for completeness you'd want to include resources or ideas on what to try. Start that next step. Or describe what you've tried so far and how it's gone.