Voices from Classroom: Thanks, Parents, for being involved; it makes for happy, successful students

By Katie Hood
Moyer Elementary

Thank you, Parents, for being involved!

Involved parents + dedicated teachers = happy, successful students.

I have been incredibly privileged to work in schools with amazing parental involvement (Immaculate Heart of Mary in Burlington, Beechwood Elementary, and now Moyer Elementary). I have been teaching for thirteen years. Each year, I’ve had around 24 students in my class. That means I’ve been lucky enough to work with over 300 students and their families!

One of my favorite songs from the musical Hamilton, (Dear Theodosia) has the refrain “If we lay a strong enough foundation, we’ll pass it on to you, we’ll give the world to you, and you’ll blow us all away, someday.”

As a mom of kindergartener and a third grader, I feel this way about them. I want to do everything I can to make them ready for the world. As a teacher, I feel this way about my students. The “we” in the song makes me think of parents and teachers working together towards a common goal—doing our best for our kids! (I can say this is true for every teacher I have had the pleasure to work with, so parents, your kids are in excellent hands during the day!)

In my classroom, I try to keep parents involved about what is happening with their children during the day. Here are a few ways that my families “stay in the know”!

Class Dojo:

Class Dojo is a website and an app where teachers can share information about their students’ day. Students can earn digital points from me for their good behavior and good choices during the day. I also post pictures to our class “story” so parents can see their child in action. When parents log on to the app, they get a report about their child’s day, can see pictures, and can get direct messages from me. The pictures are my favorite feature. Instead of students coming home and answering the question “what did you do at school today?” with a “nothing”, families can look at the pictures together and discuss the day. My daughters’ teachers have used this app in the past, and we’ve had great conversations about their school days! (I know many teachers use Twitter in their classroom for this same reason!)

Family Journal:

I learned about this idea from a teacher in Boone County, and it has become one of my favorite things my students do each week. Every Friday, students write a friendly letter to a family member, and their family member writes them back. Over the course of the year, students and parents will have a collection of letters back a forth. It’s a sweet keepsake too!

See Saw

My kindergartener’s teacher, Mrs. Steppe, uses this app at Moyer. This app allows Mrs. Steppe to share messages and pictures from the school day. My favorite feature of this app is that my daughter can post a picture of something she has been working on to her digital portfolio. All of her posts have to be approved by Mrs. Steppe first, and then we get to see them.

From the bottom of my teacher heart, I want to thank the students and families that I have been privileged to work with! Thank you, parents, for all that you do to support your child’s teacher, thus supporting your child’s education. Thank you for completing homework, signing the planners, correcting work, reading with them and reading to them, reviewing a skill that didn’t quite stick with them while they were at school.

From the bottom of my parent heart, I want to thank Mrs. Grubish, Mrs. Fait, Mrs. McDowell, Mrs. Kendall, Ms. Mirrielees, and Mrs. Steppe for keeping me and all of your families involved in what happens during the school day! You have all had a part in shaping my daughters’ lives. You’ve loved them like they were your own children, and for this, I am forever grateful!

“If we lay a strong enough foundation, we’ll pass it on to you, we’ll give the world to you, and you’ll blow us all away, someday.” (Dear Theodosia, Hamilton). By working together, parents and teachers really can give kids the world.

Thank you, parents, for helping teachers make this happen!

Katie Hood teaches 2nd grade at Moyer Elementary in Ft. Thomas. This is her thirteenth year as a classroom teacher. She previously taught 1st grade at Immaculate Heart of Mary and 2nd grade at Beechwood Elementary. She loves being with her family and friends and enjoys running, baking, and cooking.