As a novice teacher, there are always numerous questions about how to handle certain situations when they arise. You may encounter many which you have no clue what to do; as an educator increasingly seeking professional development, you must do the things needed to be better prepared for the situation next time. This could include research on a topic/situation, reflective journals on EVERYTHING you do, and also collaborating with your colleagues for help.
One problem almost every educator has or is dealing with is keeping parents involved in their child's education. I hear this come up in almost every education course, and no one really knows what to do due to the diversity of groups of children and families we encounter. But as an advocate for children, families, and communities we must look more into these cultural differences and apply accordingly. One link I found very helpful for doing so is http://ideas4schools.com/parents.htm. It provides a lot of activities which include families from different cultural backgrounds and ways to keep parents and children in tune with one another as well. I also hear and have read a lot about the different schedules of parents which seem to mainly effect their involvement in their child's education. It's difficult even for some expert teachers to work around what these parents have to do in their busy lives, but this is where we have to step up and make a difference for the child. This may include home visits, phone calls, and conferences at a more convenient hour for the parent. Also maybe even creating workshops for parents to make better use of their time, giving them little ideas about how they can get more involved. These activiities do not have to be very time consuming but could be little things here and there that could be made a part of a daily routine. Such as conversations about what they did at school today, actually having breakfast/dinner together (a huge problem in my home when I was in grade school), a television show together, or reading to their child or have their child read to them. Parent involvement in the child's life and education is very beneficial to their achievement later on in life. And many feel incompetent to get involved due to their lack of education but one website pointed out that "the role of the parent is not the same as the teachers," http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content2/Involving_parents.html. This is a very important statement for the parent to consider, they aren't their to teach the child academics but to at least examine and know what is occuring in their child's daily life in the school.
Here are some additional links I found very beneficial:
http://www.ehow.com/how_5292195_involve-esl-parents-school.html
http://www.governor.wa.gov/oeo/publications/tips_schools_english.pdf
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/envrnmnt/famncomm/pa100.htm
