Home Visits

This summer, I attended the Model Schools Conference with my principal and two co-workers. Schools from across the country participated and gave presentations on innovative instructional strategies. South Heights Elementary out of Kentucky shared how they engage their community into their school culture. Home visits are just one of their many strategies. They make it a big deal before the start of school every year. It's a community event.

So, this year my school is trying it out. My co-worker and I have called all of our students asking their families for just 5 minutes of their time to introduce ourselves as their new 4th grade teacher. I was able to successfully contact 3 of my families. Today, I met a student at McDonald's. The smile on his face was priceless! I'm hoping to meet more of my students before the start of school.

The home-school connection is lacking in our culture. Community schools no longer exist. Families are more transient and everyone wants to stay private. There is a saying: It Takes a Village to Raise a Child. We need to cling to this now more than ever. In the meantime, I will continue to build relationships with my students and hopefully make an impact in not only their lives, but in the lives of their families too!