George Floyd’s death — the public and merciless way he died and the historical and contemporary context that led to his murder — has dealt a blow to the Black community and its children. These same children will return to school this fall traumatized not only by the effects of COVID-19, but by living in Read More »
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APR
27
2020
Supporting Students Offline
Many teachers have had to make the difficult transition from in-person to online teaching in a short period of time with little training and few resources, while other teachers have not been…
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MAR
06
2020
Helping Students Turn Anxiety into Achievement
According to the Child Mind Institute, there has been a 17% increase in anxiety disorder diagnoses in young people. When these children show up in our classrooms, they want to be successful…
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FEB
11
2020
Strategies for Cultivating a Classroom That Represents Students
Imagine walking into a family member’s home and seeing your photograph on the mantel, or being in class and hearing your professor use a cultural reference you connect with. These experiences make…
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FEB
03
2020
Valuing Cultural Norms That Differ From Your Own
Black History Month is an opportunity for us as educators not only to teach students about historic contributors to our American history, but also to help students experience and find value in…
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OCT
19
2019
Communicating with Families: Operating from a Place of Empathy
It was the morning of the first day of school and for the first time in four years, I was preparing my daughter to attend a school where I was not one…
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OCT
18
2019
Having Effective, Affirming, and Energizing Conversations with Families
Every interaction we have (or don’t have) with parents does, to some degree, reflect how much we value families’ input and the extent to which we see caregivers as our partners in…
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APR
12
2018
Setting a Vision for the Future
As the bustle of the after-school and after-work hours wound down for the night, I found my eight-year-old daughter in tears in her bedroom. She was hunched over her sketch pad. Colored…
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SEP
02
2015
Building Bridges
Taking time to get to know parents sends an important message: We’re a team with a shared goal of helping students have a successful school year. Plus, parents have invaluable insight that…
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SEP
02
2014
Family Connections: 10 Minutes You Don’t Want to Skip
The beginning of the school year is a time for building relationships. I purposefully plan morning meetings, energizers, and other activities so students get to know each other and so our class…
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AUG
22
2013
What Kind of Teacher Are You?
"What kind of teacher are you?" A parent whose child will be in my class this year asked me that a few days ago. It was an honest question, and one I've…
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FEB
13
2013
How to Talk With Parents about Cliques and Exclusion
Early in the school year, share with parents school and class expectations related to exclusion. You could do this in a letter or at back-to-school night. Give them a broad understanding of…
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DEC
20
2012
What to Say to Parents Now
I can't begin to describe how important the exchanges I've had with my children's teachers and principal have been to me this week. At various times, each of them reached out to…
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DEC
19
2012
More Resources for Educators and Parents
Our appreciation for social media grew quite a bit when we asked "Educators, how was the day?" on the Responsive Classroom Facebook page on Monday afternoon, and over 100 people responded. We…
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DEC
12
2012
Parent Outreach for Busy Leaders
Teachers are encouraged to reach out early and often to their students' parents and families, and with good reason. If children are to succeed at school, teachers need to get to know…
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OCT
29
2012
Talking with Parents about Problems
Conversations about a child who is struggling in school are stressful for parents and teachers. Both parties may experience feelings of anger, fear, frustration, and confusion, along with a sense of inadequacy,…
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OCT
09
2012
What Parents Wish Teachers Knew
Recently, I had the exciting opportunity to be interviewed by Katie Couric in the ABC studio in New York City for her weekly online video series, Katie's Take. The topic: "What Teachers…
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SEP
24
2012
Ever Feel Misunderstood?
I've been thinking about the communication gap that sometimes exists between parents and teachers and how we can narrow it. For example, has this ever happened to you?A teacher offers advice on…
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SEP
10
2012
Bullyproofing at Back-to-School Night
Will you be meeting your students' families at back-to-school night soon? If so, you have a golden opportunity to take another important step toward bullyproofing your classroom.
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MAY
08
2012
We Can’t Stop Bullying Alone
It seems to me sometimes that children's teachers and children's families live on different planets when it comes to the issue of keeping our children safe in school. Personally, I've lived on…
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AUG
02
2011
Communicating with Parents
To teach well, we must know children well, and parents can help us do that better than anyone. Parents can share knowledge of their child’s strengths and challenges, unique perspectives, and other…
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MAR
16
2011
Families’ Hopes and Dreams
If we really believe the statement “Parents are partners in their children’s education,” then we have to make developing relationships with parents a top priority. An important first step in building these…
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DEC
22
2010
The Wise Teacher
A colleague of mine recently told me a story that reminded me of how powerful and positive an influence teachers can have—not just on their students, but on students’ families as well.…
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JUL
20
2010
Parents and other Volunteers in the Classroom
Inviting parents and other adult family members into the classroom gives them a chance to experience some of their child’s school life. It can also be a way for you to get…
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APR
27
2010
Information for Parents (PDF printable)
We’ve created a printable PDF for you to share with your students’ families! Note: about the term “parent” Students come from a variety of homes and family structures. Many children are raised…
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MAR
25
2010
PE Kudos! Forging connections with families
At University School of Nashville, where I was an administrator and teacher for 23 years, the physical education teachers have recently been trying a new way of engaging students' parents in the…
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DEC
23
2009
Forging Connections with Families, Part 2: Reaching Out
A couple weeks ago, I wrote about a thought-provoking series on the home-school connection that was recently published in the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel. In the second article in the series, journalist Erin…
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