By Amy Halsall
Our school building is not physically open, but our students and families need us now more than ever. They need us to provide support for technology, assignments, social and emotional health, physical health, food, clothing, shelter and more.
The best part of my job is making connections with students and families and welcoming them to our school community. During this uncertain time, this is a critical part of my daily teaching routine. Each week, our English learner (EL) team contacts all families to check-in with them to see how they are doing and how school is going for students. We can connect them to resources and give them tools to meet needs for the family.
I am so proud of the effort that our students and families are making during this challenging time. They are my heroes.
5 challenges that Families are Facing and Our Responses
1. Information about Academic and Social Services Offered
Solutions:
Weekly check-in calls with families to give them information
Facebook group to post information and resources
Facilitating connections between families
Food distribution in the community.
Connecting with the local community center for household necessities and clothing
Hotline that is bilingual for both social and academic needs
Access to teachers with bilingual support
2. Lack of Access to Technology
Solutions:
Provide options where technology isn’t needed-paper and pencil and phone lessons
Provide technology in the form of devices and hotspots
Provide tech support in native language
Provide phone numbers to acquire internet services
Look for and send videos in native language of tech.
3. Emotional Support Needs
Solutions:
Weekly check-ins with families and more often if needed
Being available when parents and families need
Native language support
Sharing resources about mental health
BEING KIND and GRACIOUS with everyone
Messages of support to students and families
4. Needing Accessible Lessons
Solutions:
Differentiated lessons
Translated lessons
Working with families to get lessons to them
Explaining lessons over the phone or in video
5. Having Policies that Support Students and Families
Solutions:
Focus on relationship and connections
Communicate goals in a simple manner
Focus on engagement and feedback of student work.
Meet needs of whole family
Focus on quality and not quantity of work.
About the Author
Amy Halsall is an EL teacher at MSD of Warren Township in Indianapolis. She has been teaching for 17 years. She taught at Moorhead Elementary School, Stonybrook Middle School and currently teaches at Pleasant Run Elementary School. She is trained in SIOP and GLAD strategies. She is passionate about making connections with students and multilingualism.
The photo of the student studying at the top of the page is licensed through Creative Commons. "spring19" by Robert E. Kennedy Library at Cal Poly is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
Comments