In 2014, Carly was taught second grade at Maury ES, and she attended an all-staff training now known as the “Building and Sustaining Relationships” training. During this training, she learned about the power of trusting relationships, how to conduct home visits, and effective practices for family engagement. Hearing stories from the parent and teacher trainers made the work of family engagement come to life. Carly had always known it was important to engage with families, but this training provided the WHY. Being at Maury as a Flamboyan partner school allowed her to implement these best practices. She saw firsthand the power of building relationships with families and became a believer in this work. In the summer of 2016, she became a teacher trainer with Flamboyan. She feels proud to have trained hundreds of DCPS and charter school teachers over the years and to share her stories and experiences.
Carly believes in REAL Family Engagement because when you build strong, trusting relationships with families, the child wins. She has seen time and time again the power of partnering with my students’ families in meaningful ways. It goes beyond attending open houses and concerts, but rather working with families to share strategies for supporting their child at home, being thought partners in creating realistic goals, and more. There are so many ways for families to be involved beyond attending open houses and concerts. Real success can happen when the students see that their parents and educators are on the same page regarding academics and behavior.
What excites you about your role as a Flamboyan trainer? It is exciting to me to expand the impact I can have. Knowing best practices for family engagement has allowed me to build relationships with my students’ families. But sharing these practices and working with teachers from many different schools shows how much of an impact we can have on our students and their families around the city.
What else is important for folks to know about you? I have taught first, second, and third grade and have taught for 13 years in charter and public schools. I live in Montgomery County with my husband, Jason, and our two daughters.