Standard 7: Engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and the community
Focus area 7.1 Meet with professional ethics and responsibilities
Understand and apply the key principles described in codes of ethics and conduct for the teaching profession.
Focus area 7.3 Engage with the parents/carers
Understand strategies for working effectively, sensitively, and confidentially with parents/carers.
Teachers should communicate with their students’ parents and caregivers in professional, confidentially, and sensitive manner (7.3). To do so is to act in a respectful and caring way, as per the Code of Ethics for Teachers in Queensland (Queensland College of Teachers, n.d.). Daniel (2016) has found that teachers do not always fulfill this requirement, leaving the communication between educator and parents disjointed.
In my practicums, I aimed to work with parents and caregivers to create the best outcomes for my students. In one instance, a state school where I was undertaking practicum did not have a homework policy, so my mentor teacher had asked his students to read each night. One of our students approached me concerned her guardian did not believe that she did not have homework, and he was unhappy with her not having any written work to do after school. This student was well-behaved and dedicated, but I knew from my English lessons that she could improve her spelling. I wrote a brief note to the student’s guardian, explaining that chapter reading was the suggested homework, but that if he wished to encourage her in other work t, he could help her learn the following list of words (7.3) To this note, I attached that week’s Words Their Way (Bear et al (Eds.), 2016). I signed with my name and “Preservice Teacher” underneath. The next morning, the student told me that she and her guardian had fun learning the words together after her reading. The student requested more words for the following week, so I continued the written correspondence of spelling words with her guardian (7.1).
Whilst this is an example of a second-hand interaction with a parent or guardian, I also had a first-hand interaction when I participated in the Parent-Teacher meetings for an Ipswich state school. This was a wonderful experience as I was able to observe how my mentor teacher used One School data, running records and examples of student work to provide feedback to parents. My mentor teacher also included me in the conversation, particularly with regards to the lessons I was teaching. As evidenced by his comment in my practicum report, my mentor teacher was happy with my conduct, observing that my contributions were professional and apt.
From these experiences, and others, I learnt there are a variety of ways to maintain communication with parents and carers to ensure that they are involved in their children’s education (7.3). My experience taking part in parent-teacher interviews helped develop an appreciation for working alongside parents and caregivers in ensuring the best outcomes for students as they progress in their learning journeys (Taylor & Kim, 2020). Fostering this positive relationship and open communication is a fulfilment of my professional ethics and responsibilities as a teacher (7.1) (QCT, n.d.) and I will aim to develop positive, respectful relationships with my students’ parents and guardians in the future.
References for Standard Seven
Bear, D.R., Invernizzi, M., Templeton, S., & Johnston, F.R. (Eds.). (2016). Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary and Spelling Instruction (Global Edition)(6th edition). Pearson.
Daniel, G.R. (2016). Parents’ experiences of teacher outreach in the early years of schooling. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 36(4), 559-569. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2015.1005051
Queensland College of Teachers [QCT]. (n.d.). Code of Ethics for Teachers in Queensland: Framework. https://www.qct.edu.au/standards-and-conduct/code-of-ethics
Taylor, L.K. & Kim, K.J. (2020). Experiencing the real context between families, schools, and community relationships: transforming preservice teachers’ perceptions. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 41(1), 18-28. https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2018.1514334
