Caregiver and Community Engagement #6

By Carissa Lellos

Throughout this series, we’ve talked about ways to build relationships with caregivers by communicating intentionally and effectively, but there’s another way to build relationships with caregivers: invite them into your classroom. By involving caregivers in the classroom and school community, you can create a vibrant and inclusive learning environment that enriches the educational experience for students. It may even lighten your load! Read on for fun ways to bring caregivers into your classroom.

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Caregiver and Community Engagement #5

By Carissa Lellos

So far in this series, we’ve discussed how important it is to communicate with caregivers. Having a healthy relationship with caregivers can help create a supportive learning environment and foster a positive connection between home and school. This week we’ll take a look at the full spectrum of caregiver involvement, from under- to over-involved, and talk strategies for finding a happy middle ground to ensure student success.

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Caregiver and Community Engagement #4

By Carissa Lellos

We’ve all had to face conversations we wish we could avoid. It can be daunting, but the instinct to recoil from these conversations does more harm than good in the long run. No matter what age group you teach, there will be times when you need to have uncomfortable conversations with caregivers about their child’s behavior or academic performance. These conversations can be challenging, but working through them together can strengthen the relationship you have with your students’ caregivers and make a huge difference for your students going forward. Read on for tips to navigate uncomfortable conversations with caregivers.

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Caregiver and Community Engagement #3

By Carissa Lellos

Last week, we talked about using digital communication tools to build relationships with caregivers. This week we’ll expand into “old school” methods of communication. You’ll be surprised – you are communicating with caregivers without even knowing it! Read on to learn more about harnessing all of the communication tools in your toolbox to be an effective communicator with your students’ caregivers.

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Caregiver and Community Engagement #2

By Carissa Lellos

Building strong relationships with caregivers is essential for the success of your students. However, with so many responsibilities for teachers to juggle, it can be challenging to find the time to communicate effectively with caregivers. It takes some work upfront, but finding the balance between digital and analog communication methods that work for you and your schedule will make a big difference in the long run. This week, we’ll do a deep dive on digital communication with tips, links, and templates for you to use in your communication with caregivers. 

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Caregiver and community engagement #1

By Carissa Lellos

Teaching, like many other jobs, relies entirely on the relationships you build. Unlike other jobs, there is regular changeover, and it’s not just your success that depends on your ability to connect. One of the hardest lessons I learned during my years as a teacher was the importance of building mutually beneficial relationships with my students’ caregivers. I was trained during my graduate studies to embrace caregivers and community members and to include them in the goings on of my classroom, but was initially resistant. I worried that by inviting them in, all I was doing was providing fodder for criticism. It took work to put my pride aside and put my students’ needs ahead of my own insecurities; doing so made all the difference. It was not easy work, and amid the thousands of other plates teachers are expected to keep spinning, it may seem like a luxury instead of a must-have. In this article, we will dissect the importance of becoming the Dream Team, and in the coming weeks, we will provide concrete tips and resources for taking this important step.

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Teacher Tip Tuesday All About Syllables #6

Last week we talked about the secret vowel sound: schwa. The schwa is the sneaky vowel sound in many words (i.e. bacon, sofa, etc.), including all words with consonant + le syllables. All words with consonant + le syllables are multisyllabic. This means students need tools to determine the vowel sounds in the preceding syllables. Read this week’s Teacher Tip Tuesday to learn how to help your students take this next step towards mastering syllables!

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Teacher Tip Tuesday All About Syllables #5

What is the most common vowel sound? It’s not a long vowel sound. It’s not a short vowel sound, either. It’s not even its own letter! If your students are struggling with syllables, the secret vowel sound may be the root of their trouble.

Want to give your students a superpower? Teach them about the schwa, the secret vowel sound! Read on to learn more about the schwa, its role in Consonant + Le syllables, and ways to give your students this syllable splitting superpower!

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Teacher Tip Tuesday All About Syllables #4

When students know how to split words into syllables, they can read and write longer and more difficult words.  Footsteps2Brilliance has outlined 10 rules to help with syllable division. Students will need to know and practice these rules to successfully split multisyllabic words. Read through this week’s Teacher Tip Tuesday for all 10 rules, plus Footsteps2Brilliance games and free printables to practice them!

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