Educators value the involvement and support of parents, guardians, families and communities in schools.

In my first two practicums, I had little to no contact with the parents of students in my class. This was largely due to the fact that the first two practicums are relatively short in terms of their duration, meaning that there is little chance to get to know the parents/ guardians of students. In this final practicum, however, I learned that parents can be valuable in helping children learn/ be successful in school. A significant part of the first few weeks of practicum was getting ready for parent-teacher interviews. I was somewhat leery about being a part of these interviews as I have never seen one from the standpoint of an educator. In my youth, I always dreaded these interviews. I did not really have a good reason to (as I was a relatively good student), however, the idea of my parents and my teacher talking to one another freaked me out.

From the interview process, I learned that parents are extremely motivated (for the most part) to help their children be successful in school. As a teacher, it is important to lean on parents a little and ask them to help out from time to time. In interviews, I saw the ease that my CT asked parents to do this and that for her. I also see the way that she focused on the positive qualities that each student had while sprinkling in ways that they could improve in the future. All in all, I now understand the importance of parents in the education process. In my own practice, I will do my best to make use of the relationships I build with parents and guardians.