Element 7: Teachers are actively engaged members of their professional and the wider community.
I believe…
- We teachers are important and privileged members of the community. We make one of the most significant contributions to our community that is to educate the children.
- I believe through interaction and engagement with the local community, teachers can provide insightful knowledge and words of advice to parents and caregivers in relation to a whole range of topics. We are models of society and should me conscious of our active engagement with society.
- As teachers we pledge ourselves to assist a child in their social, emotional and intellectual development. To do so, there is a need for us to actively engage in our own professional community as well as the wider community. I believe to effectively do this we need to communicate directly to the largest stakeholders in our students’ education, their parents and caregivers. Due to the limited time and overcrowded curriculum, there is a definite need for us to involve parents in the learning process, so that it can be carried on outside of the classroom context.
I have…
1. Shown a great commitment and demonstrated a high level responsibility in my community accepting the role of internal vice president of the Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Movement in the Marrickville Division of the organization. In this role I have been required to liaise, communicate and interact with other leaders of the youth group, parish priest, community members and parents and caregivers of the children that are under my care. Through this, I have founds means of effectively communicating with parents and local community members.
2. Conducted parent interviews in my position as a tutor as means of communicating to parents about the progress of their child. Although this was a lengthy process, I was able to show not only my commitment towards building positive relationships with students and parents but also my capacity to work along sides with my colleagues to organize the interview times and reports to parents.
3. Involved parents in the learning processes where possible particularly liaising with parents on what they can do at home to improve the learning experiences that are taking place in the classroom.
I need…
1. Consolidate my understanding of regulations and statues related to my responsibilities towards my students’ rights inside and outside of the classroom setting.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of effective home-school links and processes for reporting student progress to parents and caregivers.
3. Demonstrate the capacity to work effectively with external professionals, teachers’ aides and community-based personnel to enhance student learning opportunities.
I will…
1. Log onto the Department of Education website to browse through and read common policy documents and make myself more familiar with its content. In particular I want to revise my understanding and knowledge of the child protection policies.