Family Engagement

On the very rainy Saturday morning of June 1st, I had the opportunity to support Walnut Hill Elementary School’s first Tiger Trot and Health Fair. Families came out and walked or ran the 5K course, or part of it, with amazing energy. Rain? No problem!

Jason Frazier from Caldwell Pediatrics and Wellness Center, a Petersburg Wellness Consortium member, helped work the table but had much more fun playing basketball with the kids.

I heard about it from the school’s Family Engagement Specialist, Ms. Parker, who connected me with the right staff person. So, some fellow members of the Petersburg Wellness Consortium joined me to make sure we could support the event on somewhat short notice (my fault). Bless them!

My Fitness Warriors mentor Talibah Majeed came out. She regularly models how Community Engagement IS Family Engagement.

I LOVE the folks in the Petersburg City Public School System’s Family Engagement Department. I’m using the word LOVE here! I’ve seen them in action over the last couple of school years, and help out whenever I can. I hope the new superintendent loves the folks in that department, too.

Ms. Parker told me about the Tiger Trot while we were meeting regarding a workshop she asked me to lead. It was about trauma-informed care/ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) for families, as well as members of the Family Engagement Team.

My workshop, “Don’t Make Me Repeat Myself!” was held on June 4th at the Petersburg Public Library (which I also LOVE). Sorry, no pictures. We were too busy doing our thing!

The great ACEs Primer video was shown, and we immersed ourselves in a listening experience designed to underscore the challenges we all have when receiving and sharing information. Our discussion was about how to take what we now know about listening and become better communicators, especially with kids.

Here’s a quick takeaway without sitting through the full workshop: Give the kid(s) a break! You don’t genuinely listen to everything thrown your way, either. And you supposedly have more resources and abilities.

Family “engagement” doesn’t have to be just a department in a school system. You certainly don’t have to get your relatives to run in the rain. It also doesn’t have to be with just those you call your “family.” We are all members of the human family. Mother Earth’s family, to be totally honest.

A little more conscious listening – to your loved ones, the rain, and everyone in between – is a wonderful way to be ENGAGED.