Module 4 Blog Post

This past week I spent some time interacting with the students and with the parents. I talked to a few parents briefly at drop off time and asked if they have a few minutes to discuss their child’s literacy development.  One parent told me that she feels that it is school’s job to teach her child how to read, but once he learns how to read, she will spend more time reading with him. I asked her if she would be willing to talk more with me at a later date because I was interested in her views on early literacy (as a parent who seems to not be very interested in promoting literacy for her son). She agreed and we’re going to have a phone conversation next week. I asked my host teacher about this particular parent and she told me that she’s the type to drop off and pick up without really engaging in any conversation with her. As much as my host teacher tries to communicate with this parent, the parent seems to be uninterested.

I continued to observe my host teacher work with her students on literacy development activities. She works with them on a daily basis to help them recognize the letters of their name, spell their name, and pick out familiar letters in text. She also encourages them to practice writing their names and provides them with laminated examples to copy. I asked her what aspects of her literacy program work best and she told me that she has had the most success with name recognition and spelling. She finds that for some reason, the kids develop literacy concepts from working with familiar words and letters.

When I was observing her circle time, I noticed that one of the students commented on the fact that February has 2 “R”s. I was very interested in this because it proved me that through repetition and practice, the students are developing emergent reader behaviors. They are starting to develop letter-sound connections and are working towards being able to recognize all letters and the sounds they make.

I continually become aware of the fact that a large portion of parents do not understand the important role they play in their child’s literacy development. I feel that my advocacy plan is perfect for this center because the parents just need a bit of information. It’s not that they don’t care about their children’s education; they just don’t realize their roles and the importance of their roles. If I can provide them with a little information about how they can help their children, I feel it will make a difference. Another insight I gained this past week is that even though teachers make every effort to include families into the program, it is incredibly difficult. My host teacher expressed some frustration about getting families involved, but didn’t seem to have any ideas on how to promote involvement. I’m hoping to share some ideas with her that might benefit her classroom.