ACTIONN VOICES

True Believer in Parent Teacher Home Visits

4th Grade Teacher LaNesha Battle

This year at Anderson Elementary School we began the Parent Teacher Home Visits Project with the entire faculty. We were able to recognize that a disconnection between home and school was not good for our children, for the parents or for us as teachers.

 Before the home visits began, only the same parents would sparingly come into the schools. Teachers felt that parents were too busy to participate in the education of their students and that we had to do it all.

That was a huge misconception! Most of the parents thought teachers only cared about the academics of students – another huge misconception! Teachers and parents were both surprised at the outcome of the home visits.

I visited with one family where I had taught the older sister and her sister is currently in my classroom. The mother was hesitant, but both daughters were excited about my visit. When I arrived, the mom had her 3 daughters, 2 toddlers, and the baby she watches, all there. So of course I now understood her hesitancy!

They were very excited to see us. The mom was standoff-ish in the beginning, but as the daughters excitement began to show more and more she warmed up. We laughed and talked for the entire visit.

When the student told the class about the visit, the other students wanted to know when I was going to visit their homes! This student and I created a new bond that will never be broken, all because I showed I cared, by visiting with her family.

So to my fellow teachers, I say: "Yes, Parent Home Visits will take extra time out of your day. It will require you to make some additional phone calls. But, ask yourself: If you have children, how many of them build relationships with people you know nothing about? Is it worth an hour out of your day to make a connection with a student who will remember that hour for the rest of their life?" 

Yes! It is worth it to me and to those children whose lives I touch.