Teachers only see their students roughly for seven hours a day, five days a week. All the other hours that fill up the week, the student is at home with their families. Realizing this, it's very important that teachers make that connection between the student's home environment and their school. One way that teacher's can help with making this connection is by having parent involvement in the classroom. To have a successful school literacy program, there must be a literacy environment at home.
I remember my parents always read to me before bed, even my brothers would read to me when they were able to. As I grew older, I began reading books to my parents and brothers. Aside from reading books each night, my family helped me with homework. I have noticed from being at AppleTree and in other school environments, children love having a book read to them. The child's excitement and engagement level increases if the child has the ability to choose the book. Reading at home is a great beginning to a child's literacy development.
Having a print-rich environment also helps with the literacy development. Having an ample supply of pens, crayons, pencils, markers, etc along with paper is a must. I believe that the saying "A picture is worth a thousand words" perfectly describes this situation. Children can express themselves and their thoughts through drawings, especially before they know how to write.
I completely agree that it is important for teachers to realize the connection between the students' home and school life. It is also important for teachers to realize that everyone's home life is different. Some children may get more support than others regarding school. I also agree with the fact that having a print-rich environment helps with literacy development. It is important that children have the opportunity to express themselves through drawings.
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