It doesn’t stop after the first week of school. We must be proactive and creative throughout the year. Start a collaboration with your local community organizations. This may mean calling places in your area and coming up with ideas on how you can support each other. There are many community organizations that exist to support ELL students and families. They can offer tutoring, social services, medical needs, language classes for adults and citizenship classes.
After you find community services, make a brochure or handout for your ELL families and make it available. The more we can do through the year, the more our families will want to get involved and stay involved in their child’s future education.
Remember, we are looking to encourage and then empower our ELL families. The first and most important step is reaching out and building those relationships early then maintaining and growing them through the year. Promoting the contributions of ELL families will only help schools work for the benefit of the entire community.
To learn more about how Grand Canyon University’s College of Education provides students with the foundations of learning, leading and serving, visit our website or click the Request More Information Button on this page.
References:
- Moll, L. C., Amanti, C., Neff, D., & Gonzalez, N. (1992). Funds of knowledge for teaching:
Using a qualitative approach to connect homes and classrooms. Theory Into Practice, 31(2), 132-141
More about Stephanie:
Dr. Stephanie Knight is an experienced 7th and 8th grade English language arts educator. She taught in Title One schools for eight years—helping them grow from underperforming to excelling—and then in an independent school for four years. Knight is now is part of Grand Canyon University’s adjunct faculty where she teaches graduate-level education and reading courses.