Field Trip
EMS teachers use home visits to meet students, parents
Nancy Horst
Monday, August 13, 2007
Not many middle-school students need to be reminded that school starts Tuesday, but many were surprised Friday by a visit from their teachers.
Sixty Emporia Middle School teachers spent much of the day calling on their students and parents at their homes to welcome them back and invite them to open house next week. Home visits have been done by some Emporia teachers for many years, but this is the first time an entire school converged on their students at once.
Principal Steve Ternes asked his teachers to participate in the home visits because he knows how important it is for schools to make connections with parents and build bridges. The home visits were optional but all teachers agreed to participate.
“We did it because of our families. We know that many families really appreciate having that early home-school connection,” said Ternes. “But I think we’re getting more out of it than we anticipated.”
The teachers were paired with a colleague and given a list of students, their home addresses and map showing the location of their homes. They also were given greeting cards to leave with the students or their parents reminding them of EMS Open House at 7 p.m. Aug. 20. If no one was home, they simply left the card.
“Many teachers were surprised at how many parents wanted them to come inside and talk for a while,” Ternes said.
Sandra Frizell, a family and consumer science teacher, was glad she took the time to meet students where they live. It was the first time she had made a student home visit. She thinks it helps teachers see where their students live to understand their perspective.
“It was fun seeing the kids and yes, some were surprised,” she said. “It helps keep in touch with the reality of our students’ lives.”
Eighth-grader Nancy Lopez was surprised when Frizell and Assistant Principal Brian Pekarek knocked on her door, but she greeted them with a big smile. She will have Frizell in FACS class second semester.
Eighth-grader Claudia Carrenza also was pleasantly surprised to see Diana Wilhite, her Team 8-3 Connect teacher, and Barbara Clark, her physical education teacher, at her door Friday morning. Both were familiar faces because Wilhite was Claudia’s teacher in seventh grade. Wilhite is a member of Team 8-3, which will be assigned to the same students as eighth-graders.
Devin Walburn Hinesley also greeted their familiar faces with a smile. He will return to Wilhite’s team as an eighth-grader. He was not nearly as excited about the start of school as his mother. She was eager to get her home daycare back to its regular routine.
“This has been a real positive experience,” Wilhite said about the day.
Clark agreed that teachers need to understand the various circumstances of their students’ lives.
“It helps us get to know where they’re coming from.”
“I think it was very beneficial (for the staff). We went all over town and I was in parts of Emporia that I have not been in before,” Clark said. “It also was a lot of fun getting to know another teacher. There was a lot of camaraderie.”
Pollyanna (anonymous) says...
What a great idea and way to connect with the students. Many people think our teachers don't care, but this was a mission to prove that myth wrong. Kudos to Mr Ternes to suggest it and even more kudos to EMS teachers who all decided to participate in this optional activity. Way to kick the year off on a positive note!
August 13, 2007 at 3:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
anon (anonymous) says...
Well it was not exactly optional truth be told . . . "data-crunching" was the other option and there was some pressure to do what we were told to do even if it was dangerous.
August 13, 2007 at 4:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lookup (anonymous) says...
hey Anon, don't leave us hangin'. More details please.
August 13, 2007 at 10:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
siamesefred (anonymous) says...
Yeah, and we all have duties in our jobs we may not be thrilled about. If you're scared of the kids you're teaching, probably better move to a small school district in the middle of Montana.
August 14, 2007 at 9:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
anon (anonymous) says...
Not scared of the kids ... more like the living circumstances - i.e. guard dogs, falling apart front porches, graffiti trailers, etc.
August 15, 2007 at 5:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )