“The same way schools want parents to be involved and communicate, they should do the same. Whether it’s positive or negative” (Doucet, 2011, p. 2725). This quote spoke to me as a student, as a daughter and as an educator.

First of all, it was reminiscent of what we discussed in class when analyzing the Problem-Based learning scenarios; a teacher shouldn’t wait until a problem arises to contact a family. There should be lots of communication, even as basic as, “Can’t wait to get to know _________ better this year!” or “______ made a great contribution in class today.” Parents appreciate hearing that their child is valued in the classroom, not just that they are disruptive or having problems.

Additionally, this brought back memories from when my brother began having trouble in school, initially academically and then socially. My mother took the time to perfect writing emails because most teachers couldn’t be reached by phone or in person. She tried to get answers but most of the time was shrugged off or told that she needed to speak to someone else. No one took her request for help seriously despite most teachers acknowledging there was a problem, and in the end, my brother didn’t get help.

As an educator, this reminds me that I am part of a support network for each student, and that network reaches far outside of the classroom and the school. It is my responsibility to help families understand what goes on in my classroom and how we can work together, through good and bad. It is not the family’s job alone, and “educators should be prepared to recognize divergent means to reaching common goals,” because just like every student is different, so is every family (Doucet, 2011, p. 2729).