Educational Blogging

Educational blogging has become very popular amongst teachers. Blogs are used to document different exciting things that are happening in the classroom. Some teachers document observations, while others document projects the class interacts and completes through out the year. "An Edublog is a blog with an educational purpose. It can be authored by a learner, teacher, researcher or an administrator." (IGI Global). The great thing about a blog is that it is published for everyone to read and view. Educational blogs allow teachers to continue to be learners through experienced teachers. Teachers that have been teaching for years can share their tips and tricks. This information can help new teachers enter in the profession.

Individual creating a blog post. I decided to view two blogs from the Early Childhood section: Ms. Cassidy's Classroom Blog and Kindergarten's 3 Rs: Reflections, Resources and Rants. Ms. Cassidy's Classroom is an example of what and educational blog is used for. Ms. Cassidy posts videos and pictures regarding what is happening in her class. I really liked her idea to "connect your classroom with the world." The way we can do this is through observation and documentation. Kindergarten R's is a great blog that documents the in's and out's of a Kindergarten Classroom. Michaele is a Kindergarten teacher, and she has many pictures of her classroom environment and some resources that she uses in her classroom. I also viewed and read: A Year of Reading Blog. This blog documents different ways Marry Lee taught reading. I read her piece on teaching Poetry and making connections to other domains. I enjoyed reading how she wants to create inclusion and representation to science in her poetry lesson. I also liked how she has the materials presented on her blog for other teachers to use. When I am a teacher in my own classroom I know that I will be utilizing the resources I can learn through the help of blogs.

Parental Involvement

Parent involvement consists of the involvement of parents in a child's life. Children's behavior is often the factor of parent involvement in their lives. In todays world, there are many different types of parents: biological parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, adopted parents, and more. The word parent today has turned to caregiver. Caregiver is the same as parent it is the one that has stepped up to care for the needs of the child. If a child sees his or her caregiver involved and wanting to better the child's life by being in it, the child will often have a positive behavior. "Parent involvement refers to the collaboration between the parents and the school to improve children’s education experience and academic performance." (ParentingforBrain.com) This quote from ParentingforBrain tells us there are many ways for parents to get involved for their child's academic success. Some ways parents can become involved in the classroom are to create relationships with their child's teacher. This can be through conversations at drop off or pick up, making time to meet with the teacher to discuss the child's success in the classroom, or even following instruction the teacher gives to help the student succeed. Sometimes teachers will give feedback on progree reports to encourage parents to work with their child at home to better their understanding of material that they learn in the classroom. Parents are the first teacher and we want to make sure that it stays that way!

Parent with child. I have been in classrooms where parents truly want the best for their children and others who just go with the flow. I was working in a practicum for younger toddlers. In this classroom their was a set of twins that were completely oposits but identical. One was ahead in all of the millestones while the other was behind. When my demonstration teacher would bring up concern, the parents were eager to figure out what needed to happen for the success of both of their children. After communicating and working together to make a plan the child started to make improvements to reach her milestones and catch up with her sister. This simple example of parental involvement is what helps students to reach their goals and to succeed in the classroom.

Family and Home Environment Factors

Family factors and home environment affect a child's success in the classroom. Children can be going through some hard times at home and come to school for an escape. Some struggles that children can be facing are socioeconomic factors or family structure issues. SpringerOpen authors say, "SES is generally regarded as one of the major variables in explaining student performance, together with institutional variables and other social status indicators such as ethnic background, gender, and other family-related factors." Socio-economoic status can cause discourse in family structures. Parents and/or caregivers can present stress to children in verbal or physical ways and this same stress can be presented in the classroom. If children are not feeling supported in there homes, why should they feel safe and supported in their academics at school? There are many environmental factors that can affect learning success. Success Consciousness speaks on 6 environemental factors that affect children's success in the classroom. In this article it discussess occupation or profession as a factor in seeing the success in a childs academics in the classroom. This factor relates back to socio-economic status. If a child is more priviledged than others, that child will be allowed more access to supports compared to those that aren't priviledged.

Family dynamic gathering together. It is our responsibility as teachers to communicate with parents about what we are seeing in the classroom regarding the child's academics. These conversations can open the parents and teachers up to building a strong relationship that will better support students in their academic career. The conversations through parent and teacher communication could also open the teacher up to information regarding the home environment and family factors. These benefits will help support students and their success in the classroom. It is also important to think heavily on the safety of the child. If a child is struggling academically and struggling with basic amenities, teachers should step up and support where support is needed. There are many programs that are available for students that need help academically or with basic needs. In my hometown of Claiborne County, a very poverty stricken community, students that struggled with basic needs like food and hygiene were offered weekend backpacks. In these weekend backpacks were canned goods and basic hygiene products to get them and their siblings through till that Monday. These programs are great ways to help support students who struggle with family factors and home environments that make it hard to live comfortably.

Classroom Management

 Classroom management is one of the most important aspects of a classroom. Teachers use classroom management techniques to best support each individual child in the classroom. The number one thing to remember when working on classroom management is consistency. If we want students to do what we ask and give warnings of discipline, we need to be able to follow through. Routines are important when considering working on classroom management. Crisis Prevention Institute came up with great techniques that can best support teachers with classroom management. 

Classroom management 

Classroom management is a learning curve for all teachers. It doesn't matter if you are a first-year teacher or a veteran teacher who has been in the classroom for 20+ years. The National Education Association says, "One thing you can do is participate in professional learning opportunities." Teachers are constantly learning and bettering themselves for students. The NEA has some great resources that can better support teachers in their classroom management skills.