Keys to Successful Home Visits

(Originally titled “Would You Step Through My Door?”)

In this article in Educational Leadership, California third-grade teacher Stephanie Smith recommends making home visits as a way of building bonds of trust with families. She offers the following tips:

• Don’t go solo. It’s always best to be in the company of a teaching colleague or an administrator – and a translator if necessary.
• Ask your principal for training (and perhaps compensation). One resource is the Parent Teacher Home Visit Project at www.pthvp.org. 
• Bring a gift. This might be a baggie of school supplies, a book, or a seasonal gift as an ice-breaker and show of appreciation.
• Take notes right after you leave. It’s easy to lose track of details after several visits.
• Don’t worry about timing. Send a note to all parents suggesting times, and try to go first to the homes where you’ll need the strongest relationships. But any time in the year is fine for a visit.
• Don’t worry about where you talk. Some parents are self-conscious about their homes and prefer to talk on the front porch, or even in a local restaurant or park. “The point is to visit parents in a place where they’re comfortable – and get yourself off campus,” says Smith.

“Would You Step Through My Door?” by Stephanie Smith in Educational Leadership, May 2013 (Vol. 70, #8, p. 76-78), www.ascd.org; Smith can be reached at 

Stephanie-smith@sac-city.k12.ca.us. 

From the Marshall Memo #484