ACTIONN VOICES

Grateful Teacher, Kelly Carr

 Despite my initial hesitancy, I started doing home visits four years ago.  I decided to try a few and see how it went. 

Not only do Parent Teacher Home Visits open up doors to improved communication, they build trust and caring between the parents and me. This had been missing in the prior years of my teaching experience. 

“How did school and home come to be so separate?” I thought, and I began to consider how this separation was affecting my young students, many for whom, this was their first experience with formal schooling. 

Each year since then I have increased the number of families I visit using the best practices model of Parent Teacher Home Visit Project.

 During the 2012-13 school year I approached David’s mom, Harmony, about doing a home visit.  I selected her because David was extremely shy, and was having a hard time separating from parents when it was drop off time for his afternoon Pre-K class, even though it was two months into the school year. 

I was wondering why David was having such a hard time separating from his family.  Had he not been socialized with other adults and children before age 4?  Was his family enabling the behavior by not letting him be independent at home and babying him? 

I went with an open mind and had a wonderful visit.  David was playing on his bike and scooter in the front yard, building ramps and jumping them, while mom watched hesitantly, but supportively.  He was clearly a very independent child.   I also noticed a trampoline in the backyard and neighborhood friends stopping by occasionally to play.  He clearly had lots of interaction with other kids. 

 Mom and I visited and I got to know about the family, their interests, and their hopes for their son's future.  I learned that Harmony’s mom had been a Parent Involvement Facilitator in Hawaii and that Harmony wanted to be more involved in the school, but wasn't sure of the procedures to do so here. 

My visit made our classroom more comfortable for David, as he saw me as a part of his inner circle now… a part of his family.   Shortly after our visit, David’s daily anxiety about separating from his parents was gone, and he was opening up to me and others in the classroom, making friends, and enjoying school more. 

This visit helped me see that my assumptions about why David was shy were incorrect.  He just really loved his family and didn't quite trust me yet.  I am so thankful for Harmony opening her home to me which positively changing the course of her child’s school year.

I shudder to think of all of the missed opportunities that would have been if I had not made this home visit.  It makes me consider all those other students and families in past years that I missed.