The Importance of Documentation

Button Gwinnett Elementary began using Class Dojo in August 2015. If you are not familiar with Class Dojo, it is an app that allows teachers to communicate with parents via instant messaging. It was initially intended as a behavior management tool, but the website/app has added several capabilities as the school year progressed. Photos and videos can be posted to parents of individuals or groups of children as they learn. Teachers can message announcements to parents, which helps reduce the consumption of copy paper. Each homeroom teacher sets up a page for students on their roster, and then shares it with other teachers that work with those students. Teachers award Dojo points to reinforce positive behaviors, which is linked to our positive behavior initiative. I have used Class Dojo to offer praise, to cite concerns, and to share special learning moments "in real time" in the art room. It is an excellent way to communicate with parents!

My second method of chronicling life in the Art Zone occurred at the urging of Liberty County Schools' superintendent Dr. Valya Lee. She has encouraged its teachers to maintain Twitter accounts to share the wonderful learning moments in our classroom.  Our Twitter account for Art at BGE is Rebecca Hager @BGEArtZone.  

I have fallen out of the habit of blogging with such simple tools in my grasp. Tonight I am reflecting on the importance of documentation for the student, the parent, and the teacher for a class that I am taking via The Art of Ed. I have tried to communicate with parents in many ways throughout the 10 years I have been at BGE. From newsletters to art nights and at least two awesome art shows, it is always a joy to share what the Visual Art bring to our children. 

Students learn how to reflect on their own learning as they discuss their art with others or write about it. They are thrilled when a photograph is taken of their work, especially when

that image is messaged to their loved ones. They also become better writers! I have even had a student write poetry in response to a collage of a tree that she made over several weeks.

Documentation is important to parents because it is not always easy to get a child to tell to what happened during the school day. We want to know what is happening while we are not with out children, whether it is positive or there is an issue that needs to be addressed. I was fortunate to be able to share texts back and forth with my son's kindergarten teacher last year. That feeling of connection was a comfort as I shared my days with more than 600 children a county away. 

Documentation is a tool for reflection and of validation for educators. It is used for communication, but is also reflected in our annual evaluations. Most importantly, it is a tool of advocacy. In a time when the fate of many visual arts programs are weighed in the balance against school finances, it is vital to let all stakeholders know the value of art education in our students' lives.