Standard 6 is not just a standard that needs to be taken into account at the beginning of the year, but continued throughout the entire year as well.  Teachers need to be have a continuous form of communication with all parties involved in support of student learning.  Parent or guardian communication is important because a student’s behavior inside the classroom effects their behavior at home and vice versa.  Teachers must be aware of each student’s background in the classroom, and the only way to begin to find out is through communication with the family members at home.  Teachers need to collaborate with other educators and administrators to ensure that everyone is promoting student learning and working in the same direction.  It is beneficial for a teacher to know if a student is acting up in other classes or just their own; this can help the teacher determine the source of the student’s misbehavior whether it be boredom in the classroom from not understanding the material or not being challenged.  Teachers need to communicate with the local community in order to be aware of all of their resources.  Learning can be done outside the classroom, or guests can be brought in to work with the class.  A change of pace and/or scenery is always beneficial to the students.

    With the amount of technology available to teachers today, there are many simple ways to stay in constant communication.  Having a webpage for my classroom is almost essential.  Parents and students can both stay up to date with what is happening in my classroom.  I can use the website to post any homework assignments or upcoming projects, tests, or quizzes.  I plan to be familiar with all of the features of my school’s online management system as well.  I will keep grades updated for students and parents to check.  If students are missing assignments, I want the student and the parents all to be aware.  Many management systems come with some form of message board that can be used for students to collaborate with each other and with me as the teacher.  If students have questions or need help when they are not in the classroom, I want them to be able to have some resource they can use to ask for help from either myself or other classmates.  Resources, such as the Remind application, are beneficial, and I plan to utilize them as well in my classroom.  If I need to easily remind my students about an upcoming test or to bring something specific to class with them, I can easily send a text message to their phone’s without sharing any personal information.  Growing up with all of these technologies, I feel I am at an advantage when it comes to unitizing them in my classroom because I have become very “tech savvy” and can easily figure out how to use any new program, software, or application.