Chapter 4: Growing in Critical Cultural Awareness: Understanding Ourselves to Strengthen Our Work with Children, Families, and Communities

As I walked into my “Teaching Social Studies” class, my graduate students, most of whom are already practicing teachers in early childhood settings, were animatedly engaged in conversation. I heard: “I have so many reports to write” and “scheduling is so hard, I'm going to be on Zoom all day.” I realized, for them, it was that vexing time of the year - parent-teacher conferences. “Yes, it is a lot of work,” I chimed in and then a student said, “Professor, I hate talking to parents!” It was this latter statement that gave me the greatest moment of pause. We dedicated the next two hours to unpacking what it means when we say things like “I hate talking to parents,” “parents don't want to hear it” and, “some parents just don't care about their kids.” Although initially jarring to hear from my talented and committed, and otherwise racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse group of “woke” students, the reality is that many teachers, and by extension, schools, are challenged by the idea of “family engagement.”