On Home Visits

When I was in kindergarten, there were no such things as Home Visits. In fact, the concept of a home visit was first introduced to me my tutor year of the program when I first began student teaching at Suncrest Primary. In Monongalia county, teachers are required to conduct home visits for pre-k and kindergarten students. In my home West Virginia county, Putnam, no such requirement exists.

I found the idea of home visits to be interesting, beneficial, and eye opening. I believe knowing the background of a student, the student's family, the home life, and the living conditions provides an abundance of insight into the behavior, the cognitive function, and the over-all student. It also allows the teacher to catch a glimpse into the daily life of the student outside of school.

Before going on my first home visit, I was both excited and apprehensive. I was unsure what to expect or even what to do! The first home visit went very smoothly and I found that I was able to easily interact with both the student and his mother. As I continued on the home visits, I began to form more opinions on home visits from my experiences and made notes about them importance of home visits and key elements of a home visit for the future.

• Home visits are a time to get to know the student: During a home visit, I found it was a great opportunity to find out what the student's interests are. Have them show you their favorite toy, their favorite book. After all, they are in a safe environment, their home, and are probably going to be more outgoing and welcome to you in this environment than on the first day of school in a new classroom. 
• Prepare students for the first day of school: While it is critical to get to know the student, it is also important to have conversations with the student about school. Tell them about the classroom, tell them about yourself, run through the schedule, show them pictures, relate parts of the day/the classroom to their interests. Ideally, through conversations, you can help put any fears or doubts of the first day of school to the side for the student and get them excited.
• Find out the parent's expectations: It is crucial to ask the parents what they expect out of you and out of pre-school. Asking them for their expectations, allows you to set your own goals for your classroom and clarify any misconceptions - such as "I want my child to learn all of his numbers and letters". Well, yes ideally, we would hope the child would leave pre-school knowing more numbers and letters, but that is not a direct goal of pre-k.
• Successful Home visits --> Successful Year: Beginning the year off right with a successful home visit, helps set up the entire year. This first interaction with the child helps foster a positive relationship for the entire year. Involving the parents from the beginning will hopefully lead to more involvement throughout the year as well. Having home visits before the school year begins, allows you and the parents time to get the classroom prepared and labeled with names and pictures and all the forms and paperwork collected. 
• Calm all nerves: At times, it appears the parents are more nervous and more hesitant about this step into preschool than the students. Especially if the child is the first one to be sent to school. Home visits are a great time, to not only get to know the parents, the students, and the expectations, but to calm any nerves and set any worries or concerns aside. Ask the parents what concerns they have - and do the best to ensure them, they are tiny, tiny issues in the larger scheme of the day
• Leave them wanting more: Leave the student with something to look forward to. Rather it be noticing their collection of dump trucks and saying: "You know what? When you come to school on Monday we will get the dump trucks and play with them at the sand table ... How does that sound?". Or even promising the child time will be set aside for a read aloud of a book of their choice from the huge classroom library. Whatever interests the child, latch on it, and use it to help spark the curiosity and excitement of pre-school - give them something to look forward to!

It is imperative to view home visits as an integral, positive responsibility of teaching early childhood, not as a chore. It is crucial to go into a home visit with open eyes, open ears, and more importantly an open mind. Be sure to remain excited and positive - and make this energy contagious to both the child and the parents. 

After my first year of home visits, I not only look forward to seeing my students again on the first day of school, but in conducting the follow-up home visits later in the year and in future home visits of future classes.