Classroom Management

Helping parents feel included provides the perfect school/home partnership we all know is key to student success.  

However, COVID-19 has brought new challenges for sharing classroom happenings with parents. The moment we decided that no adults other than staff would be in our building, it became apparent that we needed a new classroom communication strategy. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but pictures alone cannot give parents the information they desperately seek about what their children are doing at school. What packs the biggest punch? Try this three-pronged approach to helping parents feel knowledgeable and included.

Exhibit: Use visual documentation to capture the most important moments during the day. Children in action. (Building, listening, playing, and exploring). Choose to share moments that capture emotion. You can say they are having fun outside, but seeing it is especially important. Parents want to see their children engaged with other children; they need to see that their child has friends.

Elevate: Use keywords to emphasize what the picture is showing. “When children explore, they build higher-level thinking skills. This provides the pathways for more complex reasoning.”   “Playground time provides the perfect space for social and emotional growth. Taking turns, pretend play, and risk-taking are just a few examples of how important this time is for their overall growth.”

Educate:  Provide context for the picture by explaining how it fits into the overall curriculum. “We are learning about ____. Today we went outside and measured... and inside we....”  Describing how each piece of the day scaffolds in either topic or skill allows parents to feel like they are part of the learning. It also gives them ideas of how what they are doing at home contributes to their child’s learning.

This works best when teachers establish a consistent vocabulary of skills and development with parents. Here are common terms used to define developmentally appropriate learning:

• Social-emotional skills– building/regulating emotional responses, feels empathy, engages in play
• Cognitive skills -learning (academic foundations), thinking (infers information), problem-solving (poses questions and solutions)
• Language Development - express themselves, develop more complex vocabulary and sentence structure
• Physical Development - gross motor (building strength that allows greater movement and challenges), fine motor (pre-writing muscle development, smaller piece use and cutting)
• Multi sensory – using varied materials and engaging more than one sense

Jennie Rubin
Director of Early Childhood Education
Temple B’nai Or, Morristown, NJ

February 2021

Supporting Teachers with Parents of Struggling Students

As early childhood directors and educators, we want all children to feel like they belong and have opportunities to meaningfully contribute to our classroom communities.  Pirke Avot 2:5 teaches us, “Do not separate yourself from the community.” 

We also know that sometimes we have children who struggle within our schools.  Our teachers are often the first to identify these challenges to parents. 

As a director, your role will include supporting your teachers as they help parents advocate for their children to receive the services they need and deserve.  Your teachers’ first responsibility will be to develop trust in each relationship.  And yes, while these conversations are challenging, it all becomes a bit easier when the families know that they can fully place their trust in us. 

As schools and families begin to recognize challenges that may need to be addressed, you and your teachers can help the families with their next steps. 

Here are a few tips that may be helpful to your teachers in those initial conversations with parents:

• Know that you may be the first person to ever raise a concern with them.
• Share positive experiences early; everyone has things to celebrate.
• State the facts – only the facts (observations from school).
• Inquire about what parents are observing at home.
• Identify and consult with professionals within your school and community (speech therapist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, special educator, social worker).
• Offer to partner with parents and the professionals with whom they are going to engage, providing observations for them to share.

• Recommend they discuss concerns with their pediatrician.
• Connect parents with local school districts for evaluation.
• Partner with parents to consider alternatives, if the child’s needs cannot be met.

Here are some links to articles that may also be helpful for use before, during, and after these conversations:

Resources and Tips for Inclusive Educators

Difficult Parent Conversations:  A Guide for Success

8 Tips for Working with Parents of Special Needs Children

Ten Things I Wish Someone Told Me About Parenting a Child with Special Needs

3 Ways Teachers Can Support Special Ed Parents, Like Me

Stop the Car!  And Other Thoughts About Special Needs Parenting

Supporting our children and families is an honor, privilege and responsibility that cannot be overlooked.  Partnering with families and advocating together makes the process much easier for all. 

Rebecca Wanatick, Ed.M.
Manager, Community Inclusion & Program Services
Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ

February 2020

Speaking to Parents about Development Concerns

As early childhood educators, we are often the first to notify parents of any concerns in their child’s development. How do we approach such a conversation in a way that parents are open to receive the information positively?  I am not an expert on difficult conversations. However, I am a parent who has had to listen, truly listen to what my child’s teachers were reporting.

When my son Ari was a toddler, I noticed discrepancies in his development.   My husband thought I was over-thinking -- I knew in my gut that something was off.  Then, at the age of 5, Ari was placed on an IEP.  There was no formal diagnosis at that point. They labeled him “Developmentally Delayed.”  I hated that term, but Ari received speech and language and OT and was getting the help he needed.

It is important to understand that there is a “mourning” period parents go through when they hear for the first time that their child has a disability.

In the 5^th grade, Ari was the one who was the distraction in class.  At first, I made excuses for him, blamed the teacher, the school, and the dynamic of kids in the class.  Sound familiar?  While I was blaming others, I knew in my heart that it was not their fault.  I didn’t know how to respond.  I was disappointed and embarrassed, I couldn’t believe my sweet boy was the disruption in class.

The next time you have to have that difficult conversation, please remember what I have shared.  I am a parent who is an early childhood professional with a Master’s in Special Education, and it took me time to process and accept what I was hearing.  Please do not judge or take any negative responses personally.  It is important to be empathetic and supportive.  Parents need time to process the information before they are able to accept the observations.  As parents are ready for the next steps, offer to assist them in navigating.

When in doubt, ask your director for support in one or more of the following ways:

• Attend your meetings with parents.
• Bring in outside professionals, such as OT’s or behavior specialists, for training and to observe students in the classrooms.
• Suggest books/articles and discuss the big ideas as a staff.
• Roll play at staff meetings or with teaching teams.

I am happy to report that Ari has successfully completed his first semester of college!

Stacey Gabriel
Teacher and Curriculum Coach
Temple Beth Avodah

February 2202

The Ketanim Manifesto

The purpose of this manifesto is to put into words the way we feel about our classroom (known as the Ketanim class), our babies and our responsibilities. Not only is it meant for our classroom team members, but for substitutes, parents and anyone else who, in any way, comes in contact with our room and/or our babies. It is a tangible expression of how important it is to cherish these precious ones and their families, and to care for them, their space and all of their needs as if they were our own babies.

•  We believe that the babies in our care are precious, priceless little ones who deserve our love, nurturing, and excellent care.
• We welcome each baby and family every day with smiles and genuine interest in their lives.
• We keep our room fresh and welcoming for our little ones by cleaning throughout the day, having a daily cleaning routine performed every evening, and doing laundry every morning.
• As teachers, we work together as a team to keep our room running smoothly as we help each other observe, anticipate, and plan to care for each child according to their individual schedules and needs.
• Every day, our infants experience reading, music, singing fine and gross motor activities, time outdoors (weather permitting), and continual positive interactions with their teachers and other specialists in order for them to develop delight and curiosity about the world around them.  They are provided all kinds of sensory experience through art materials, nature, and developmentally appropriate toys/materials to explore.
• The safety of each and every one of our children is diligently protected, which includes ever discerning supervision, maintaining the best hygiene practices in diapering, hand washing, preparing bottles and food, and in protecting them from the transfer of germs through cleaning and sanitizing the room, and maintaining a “no touching the babies” policy while strolling outside of the room.
• Above all, our babies are loved and cared for by teachers who are delighted to be with them every day, who do not view their responsibilities as just a job, but instead as partners with parents to provide the very best for their children.

Karen Greene, Infant/Baby and Me teacher
Barbara K. Lipman Early Learning Center
Temple Israel
Memphis, TN
ketanim@timemphis.org

August 2019