Blog Post #1: Family Factors

The first topic I chose to discuss on my blog is the impact family factors, specifically, family engagement, have on the student.  To define what family engagement would be when a family, such as parents or caregivers, has a meaningful role in their student's education, involvement, and activities. We want each of our families, whoever that may be for the student, to be a healthy and positive influence in their student's education. The family plays a role hand in hand with their success in school as well as their engagement in society. At this age, many students cannot choose to make their own decisions on how they live their lives, so these students must have engaged role models that really dive into the lives of their students. These families need to be their student's most prominent advocates and really understand their strengths and weaknesses. These engaged family members will always be the go-to people as a support system, and they will aid in any plans or strategies needed to benefit the child in school or out of school. We only want the best for our students, and we would be one step closer to success by having engaged family support.  

3 leaves labeled family, school, and community
used to represent how these factors all go 
hand in hand to lead to success. 

This is a topic that I want to stress to every single parent or caregiver as vital. If your student does not have support at home and the advocates that they need to really back them up, then they may miss out on reaching their full potential. I want each and every student to be provided the education they deserve and really benefit from the instructional methods used. This will be important in my future class because I want to encourage my families to help out in the class where they can and really show how involved they can be in order to encourage the same behavior from the students. When a student knows they have the support of their family, they will not only excel in school, but they will also be more encouraged to get involved in activities the community offers. I want my students to know that no matter who they have in their corner, I will always be their biggest fan, and I will ensure they have someone rooting them on. When it comes to family engagement, I think that the classroom will thrive when each of the students knows how important and supported they are outside of school. These students will be held accountable for ensuring their schoolwork is done, and they will also be encouraged to do their best. When parents are really involved and know what is going on in the classroom, it will make the dynamic a little smoother and your processes more seamless because the class will be prepared. Not only is this the responsibility of the parent, but it is also the responsibility of the teacher to have this open communication with the students and their support teams in order to encourage that engagement and build those vital relationships.