Engages Guardians and Community
Guardians can be a powerful tool in a teacher's arsenal. It's important not to rely too much on parent support, but I've found that a little bit can go a long way. Keeping every parent informed is impossible, but parents appreciate being included in what's happening in the classroom, even if it's a simple weekly update about what's going on. In one fell swoop, this preemptively answers many parent questions, addresses their concerns that their child be challenged and supported in English, and lays a positive foundation for any future interactions that become necessary. It's important, too, that teachers know when to draw the line. I don't email parents about every issue that comes up in class, but there are times with behavior or academics get to be enough of a problem that a teacher needs to let parents know what's been going on. This is important because if things get more severe, it's too late for an initial attempt to reach out, that should've already happened.
Below are some examples of how I've navigated the sometimes murky waters of parent communication and decided, on a student-by-student basis, what amount of communication was appropriate given the circumstances.
Below are some examples of how I've navigated the sometimes murky waters of parent communication and decided, on a student-by-student basis, what amount of communication was appropriate given the circumstances.
Communication with Guardians
I found that it's helpful to be as positive as possible when emailing a student's parent or guardian. You want to emphasize, no matter what, how delightful their student is and how you enjoy having them in class. Being pessimistic and negative only results in distancing yourself from the parent, but if you can show them that you're on their son or daughter's team, they'll be willing to work with you and you're more likely to have a positive result in terms of the student's performance in class.
Email is preferable to phone calls because it lets both the teacher and the guardian be more deliberate. Things are less likely to be heated and it's easier to say exactly what you mean when you have the time to choose your words. I have made calls when an issue was more pressing or when parents don't have an email listed and those are an important tool as well, when the case necessitates them.
I've attached a document that shows several successful exchanges I've had with actual parents of my students. None of the names, except for mine, are the same for the sake of privacy, but you'll see how effectively I can communicate with guardians for the sake of student's well-being.
Email is preferable to phone calls because it lets both the teacher and the guardian be more deliberate. Things are less likely to be heated and it's easier to say exactly what you mean when you have the time to choose your words. I have made calls when an issue was more pressing or when parents don't have an email listed and those are an important tool as well, when the case necessitates them.
I've attached a document that shows several successful exchanges I've had with actual parents of my students. None of the names, except for mine, are the same for the sake of privacy, but you'll see how effectively I can communicate with guardians for the sake of student's well-being.
Weekly English Agenda
At the beginning of each week, I send out a weekly agenda that keeps parents aware of what's going on in English that week. Using this tool consistently preemptively eliminates lots of parent questions, which increases efficiency. It also lays the groundwork for a positive relationship with guardians, because they see that I'm taking the time to keep them posted, which predisposes them to be on my side should any problems arise.
This is a sample agenda, which shows the typical content and format of these weekly updates.
This is a sample agenda, which shows the typical content and format of these weekly updates.