Last
year I became the youngest Lead Teacher on the Infant/Toddler side in my center
and that was a huge adjustment for not only me but also the families in which I
worked with. I had three strikes against me from the moment I agreed to the
position, I was the youngest, I have no children and I am a lesbian. The teachers in which I worked with knew
about my sexual orientation, but I made it my business to shield that from the
families, because I did not want that to be an issue in which the parents
questioned my teaching ability. From the beginning, the families fought with me
and on the sly questioned my ability to care for their children. I followed and
still follow all guidelines and show my students as much love and care as my
heart and their heart can hold, but at times it still feels like it is not
enough. I must admit that it is very frustrating and I even go home crying and
feel defeated because all I want from the families is to see that I care about
their child’s well-being, that I am their advocate, that I am competent and
that this is not a baby-sitting job for me.
From looking at the demographics
in my classroom, most would believe it would be a breeze, but to their surprise,
it is not. Most of the families I service are between the ages of 22-29 and I
even have a lesbian headed family. These
family structures are the ones in which at times makes my workday a stressful
one. In my experience, I have had the following issues in working with these
families. They include:
·
Families do not read daily grams,
flyers, newsletters or etc.
·
Families do not complete Home Enrichment's/class projects
·
Families do not show up for center wide
events
·
Families do not come to parent-teacher
conference meetings
·
Families do not volunteer/donate
Although
my first year has not been ideal, I have built a few lasting partnerships with
some of the families in my classroom. I can honestly say that I can see the
progression that some of my children have made and they tug at my heartstrings.
I believe that we as professionals go the extra mile to welcome families and
invite families in the learning environment regardless of classism, race, age,
cultural background, sexual preference or even family make-up. It is my hope
that families remove their own biasness and see the greater picture, which is
to build strong, independent, intelligent, diverse, respectful young children.
It sounds like this has been a very difficult situation for you. I am sorry that you have undergone such a difficult experience while trying to reach out to the children and families. Your dedication and commitment to your job and the children really shows. It seems as if you have been doing an excellent job working with the families and trying to engage them as much as possible.
ReplyDeleteSha'Keema,
ReplyDeleteI can imagine it would be really hard to establish strong relationships with the families of your students if they do not trust in your abilities. However, it sounds like you are making great efforts. I can relate to many of the issues you have faced in working with the families of your students. It can be hard to get families involved in your program for a variety of reasons, including work schedules and transportation issues. However, I believe it is important to focus on what we can control, instead of what we cannot. We can control the efforts we make to establish connections with families. We can send home newsletters, notes, pictures, family activities, and student work to help keep families informed. We can also create classroom websites for families to visit in order to learn about what is going on in our classrooms. We can also create opportunities for families to come volunteer or visit. If we know the specific challenges the families we work with face, then we can work on finding resources for them. However, we cannot control how they respond to our efforts. Therefore, it is important not to get bogged down by these issues. Instead, think about how you are doing what is best for the children and families you work with and reflect on ways you can improve. Try to focus on the positive. :)
Hey, I can definitely relate to being the youngest on a job (and even looking young to the point where most parents didn't even think I had a child of my own). Yes, I agree that often times people mistaken young for incompetent or not having the ability to effectively teach their children. In cases like this, I simply SHOW rather than waste my time trying to convince them that I, too, am just as qualified as my older counterpart. I had a parent like this once, but by the end of the year she was praising me for all that I had done with her child. Hopefully, in due time, all parents will remove the biases and simply let us do our job, which is to TEACH! Good Luck for the years to come! :)
ReplyDeleteIt is very sad to have to come against so many biases when you are there to help the children. It hurts to see people judge you by things that have absolutely nothing to do with your competency or abilities. You have to continue to stay strong and continue to work hard to make a difference and in the end, the families will all see that you are an exceptional teacher.
ReplyDelete