Stephanie Smith understands why parents in the urban area where she teaches balk when she calls to ask if she can visit them at home to talk about their child and meet the family. Her family would've balked too when Smith was in elementary school. "The abyss between the school's bright lights and the government housing I grew up in was great," she writes; it would've been embarrassing to have a teacher come home with her. But Smith persists in arranging visits with the parents of her 3rd graders because she knows it's essential for teachers to see the realities of home life for students living in poverty--and how much relationship building and insight into students' hidden strengths a family visit can yield. Smith has conducted more than 80 home visits, including meeting at a park or on the front lawn when a family doesn't invite her in. She shares a story of a recent successful home visit and gives tips for conducting beneficial visits.