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It was first grade, and the school year was 2020-2021. The year was bizarre for kids, parents, and teachers. We started the year on Zoom, then moved to four days in person. Kids were masked, which masked facial expressions and social cues. Teachers worked hard to build relationships and connections but did some from 6 feet away. It was the middle of a cold March afternoon, and my phone rang. It was my son’s school. This is what I hear:

“Kim, it is fine now, but N did not want to come in from recess and ran into the woods. The whole admin team had to go out to find him.”

To be honest, this story has become a fish story in our family… I don’t actually think it was that dramatic, but it definitely involved refusal to come in, at least one assistant principal, and running toward the tree line. This moment could have gone horribly wrong, but I already had a strong partnership with N’s teacher and administration. I knew that they genuinely wanted what was best for him. I knew they wanted my help to figure out what was happening in his life to make a typically well-behaved child run into the woods. They knew I would work with them and (within reason) support their decisions. I can’t remember the solution or why he ran away. I don’t remember because we all worked together, and the problem was solved quickly and peacefully. I am happy to report N has never fled recess again 😅

The National Association of School Psychologists shares that students benefit greatly when schools and parents work in partnership. They state that students demonstrate more positive attitudes toward school and learning, higher achievement and test scores, improved behavior, and greater participation in academic activities. They also share there are benefits for the teachers and the parents. My favorite part is their definition. They define home-school collaboration not as an activity but as a process that guides the development of goals and plans. Education becomes a shared responsibility when collaboration is characterized by open communication, mutually agreed-upon goals, and joint decision-making. In my opinion, shared responsibility and mutual respect is the only chance our children have at making it through the crazy, technologically advanced world we created.

I want to end this message with the poem I shared last night and again reiterate I am so excited to partner with you this year.