Success!

Today was the meeting that I planned for the Latino families in my two classes. I had moms and dads from 7 different families come and they stayed just about an hour talking with me. At first, it was a little awkward. I didn't plan an agenda and I didn't want to do a presentation or just talk to them. I wanted to hear from them and get them talking and sharing with me about what is going well and what I might be able to do to make their experience better. By the end of the hour, they were conversing and sharing and I thought it went really well. I don't know exactly how I sounded trying to pull it off in Spanish, but I was able to understand what they were saying and they said that when I communicate with them in Spanish, they are able to understand me (so I must be making some kind of sense!).

I tried to express to them why I wanted to have this meeting and basically it's because I want to make sure that I am supporting their having equal access to information about our Kindergarten program and I want them to feel comfortable enough with me to volunteer in the classroom, ask me questions when things don't make sense, or offer feedback/ideas/suggestions.

We talked about a lot of different things during the hour and I really  hope that they felt it was worth their time and a positive experience. Luckily two families were there that I have gotten to know a bit better through working with them on the PASS team, so I felt very supported and encouraged by them. All three of those parents are completely bilingual, so I felt better knowing that if I got stuck in trying to say something, I could ask for help.

I talked a bit about the literacy bags and had two parents ask me for permission slips which they signed and turned in. So far I have a little over half of each class signed up to participate, which is good, however I was hoping to get everyone involved. I decided to go the permission slip route because I want to make sure that families are taking responsibility since the items cost a LOT of money (which I thankfully got through donations) and in order to keep this process going all year, everybody needs to do their share of caring for the materials and returning them on time. I don't want to send bags home and never see them again. I have talked to my students each day this week about the importance of bringing a permission slip because if they don't, I won't send a bag home with them on Friday. I am guessing that some kids are going to get upset when they don't get one, but that is how it has to be.

I am exhausted after feeling a bit stressed over the parent meeting, so it's time for a little relaxation! Only one week until hubs is back in the US and 9 days until I see him!