EDU 6945 Now that I’m a Nighthawk - Families and Community

EDU6945                             Now that I’m a Nighthawk - Families and Community                      Ian Lewis

Becoming a Narrows View Nighthawk has been no easy task. Well, some parts were…but really, none of the good GREAT things in life come easily. And, as any social scientist knows, immersing oneself in any new experience takes great time, planning, communication, and reflection. Similar to an ethnographer studying a culture, the teacher would experience a new and unique culture in the classroom each new school year. Good ethnography takes time – some scientists were/are abroad/undercover/enveloped… for years, but that’s another, long story. As a teacher, not only do we employ the skills and knowledge of teaching pedagogy, but also employ psychology, cultural and physical anthropology, sociology, and history, in addition to the previously mentioned ethnography, just to name a few applicable social sciences. Hey, we even threw in archaeology recently too! The point of having such a Batman-esque toolkit is vast, but one important aspect is the creation of relationships – the sense of community – not only with students, but with their parents/guardians, other teachers, support staff, specialists, administration, and even the local community, which is the direct point of program standard 7. Families and Community.

Becoming immersed with program standard 7. Families and Community has involved much time, but with much time has come the establishment of strong and deep relationships, in part due to much planning, communication, and reflection. Building these relationships has come in many forms, but is strongly rooted in these attributes. Throughout first semester, I worked with two classes for English Language Arts (ELA) and social studies – that’s fifty relationships right there. Now, only teaching social studies, but with two additional classes, that’s over 100! This semester the new fifty relationships are still budding, but with my original classes they are now flourishing, and not only with just the students, but parents/guardians too. Planning is key for many reasons, and especially takes into consideration the previously mentioned social science skills. Lots of great teachers probably don’t even conscientiously consider the use of these skills despite actually integrating them to their fullest capacities. Knowing our students – through psychology, anthropology, sociology, etc.  – is essential, and good teachers do this. Planning teaching/learning experiences to use the strengths (and even acknowledge and reflect upon weaknesses) of the multitude of unique students takes vast knowledge of a large population. By knowing this large population though, we can plan engaging teaching/learning experiences that draw upon the cultural and background knowledge of our students, while also considering the need for differentiation based on a plethora of variables (ELL, special education, 504s, IEPs, gifted, etc.). During the study of the Byzantine and Muslim empires, for example, the two ELL students were thoroughly engrossed as we discussed aspects of their culture and religion. They were drawn in as experts on the subject of pronunciation, cultural traditions, religion, and even art. One of them volunteered to show his Qur’an, which was beautifully inlaid with gold leaf and served a wonderful representation of a primary source for the brief study and art project related to Islamic art. The other shared a traditional flatbread. 

In order to immerse ourselves in the cultures of our students so that we can plan to incorporate this unique class culture into daily lessons, we must successfully communicate and constantly seek out opportunities to build relationships, similar to anthropologists and ethnographers in the field. Right away, students wrote letters to us describing various aspects of home and culture, in addition to background information on reading and study habits. Knowing various strengths and weaknesses of students from the beginning allowed for much successful planning. After all, through this engaging, communication learning activity, we were able to collect a writing sample from each student by day two, whereas on the actual writing preassessment in ELA on day one…some students left blank responses. Granted, vastly different prompts, but a sample nonetheless, and a great way for using communication as a foothold for establishing a relationship. This item was the first in the students’ cumulative files, which serves as a wonderful resource for tracking many aspects of school, and also serves as a great resource for reflecting upon growth (or possible problems) with parents/guardians. Thirty book summaries and Accelerated Reader points in a file when a goal was only five would certainly warrant celebratory communication to a parent/guardian, while the tracking of excessive bathroom pass use, detentions, and/or tardy slips, among others, could certainly provide evidence to suggest a need for communication with parents/guardians regarding reflecting on student growth and behavior.

Additionally, Narrows View Intermediate’s positive behavioral interventions and support program utilizes Nighthawk Notes and Nighthawk Superstar tickets as ways to communicate to students that their positive behavior is acknowledged and appreciated, which is a great way to build relationships. While certainly easier to compose earlier for some students than others, the Nighthawk Note is a postcard with a personalized note that is actually sent home to students and their parents/guardians; the goal is to send at least one for each student throughout the year. Superstar tickets are ways to communicate that a student has demonstrated one of the three Be’s (Safe, Respectful, and Responsible) at an exemplary level; they are entered into a drawing for Superstar of the month, which acknowledges positive student leaders and communicates the strong ideals of the school to students and parents/guardians. I have delighted in writing many of both, though I’m sure I still have many more to give as I continue to communicate high expectations and acknowledge positive student behavior as just one way to craft relationships. 

Figure 1: Nighthawk Note and Superstar ticket, examples of PBIS incentives, and ways of communicating high expectations and exemplary student behavior to students and their parents/guardians.

Other communication outlets include direct email, of which I have crafted many, the class website, as well as the student/parent portal to the gradebook online. Student-led parent/teacher conferences were a wonderful way to communicate and interact with the diverse classroom community to reflect on student progress and strengthen relationships. Student Intervention Team (SIT) meetings, as well as those for IEPs and 504s in which students and parents/guardians are involved are also ways to reach out and communicate.

Reflection, on the planning and communication that has gone into such relationship building, and for the progress to come, is the final key component to establishing strong ties with families and the community. Simply, reflecting is also something that any scientist, social or not, does on the daily. Reflection comes in many forms. Reflecting on what we know about our students and how to incorporate it into learning activities is necessary for planning. Then reflecting on our plans and what we actually witnessed our students do with them is necessary for our own growth and development, and not just by ourselves, but with other teachers in our team so that we may track class trends of growth or areas for improvement. Reflecting on student progress and behavior must be adequately and continually communicated to students (and parents/guardians, other teachers, and administration) so that they may continue to process this feedback and apply new strategies for success where applicable. Reflecting on communication before it is actually communicated is a practice to be acknowledged and used – and one to be passed on to students. Through thoughtful reflection, which goes hand-in –hand with communicating and planning, we can better reach out to our diverse students, their families, and the community. Throughout my internship thus far I have experienced many facets of this program standard. With the remaining months of the school year, I will continue to the standard to practice. Most importantly, I will continue to soar as a new member of the nighthawk family.