“Educators understand, respect and encourage the participation of families and communities in student learning and development. Educators consider the perspectives of parents/guardians regarding their children. Educators communicate effectively and in a timely manner with parents/ guardians.” – BCT
 I made a fun learning activity focusing on integers and cartesian charts. I made rules and a poster and a slick print out. I even gave up an afternoon. In a roundabout way it was for the kids. In both title and goal it was, “Math Night for Parents”, and it was a pretty rewarding experience. It was a really great way to remember that we’re all on the same team. Parent Teacher relationships can be complicated, and with the goings on in the news and school board parking lots there’s an unfortunate lean towards contention. Everyone of us at Math Night wanted the best for learners. Well the extrinsic motivator of program expectation exists, we want success for learners. Teachers, teacher candidates, and parents/guardians were all there because math is hard and we want students to feel successful. One Parent who tried my game enjoyed it with their student, and mentioned how they were excited to learn for themselves. The game was targeted for a specific grade 7 curricular goal, but the parent was so excited to be able to share this understanding with their child as she grew and developed her skills in numeracy. We all wanted the same thing. We all wanted students to try, and have fun, or at least try to have fun. Everyone involved took an hour out of a Thursday evening to help students enjoy numeracy. As teachers we are part of an often small group of frequent adults influencing children’s lives. It’s important to think of ourselves as a team because even if we have varying goals or understandings, we all have the same responsibility. An opportunity like math night can be a great opportunity to connect with parents over something neutral. Building these connections are part of building relationships and make difficult conversations much easier. As a teacher, budgeting a little time for a relatively small event is a really great way to let parents know that your goal is success for students. Voluntary use of time for work is sometimes a tough pill to swallow. If this time means that the big talks of the future are easier and relationships can be built, it’s time well invested for booth student success, and work life balance.
