But in a society that is changing so quickly, how should instructors approach home-school communication?
With so many parents working full-time and balancing several commitments, family life is changing. Less parents may be seen by teachers at the door of the classroom than in the past, and there are fewer opportunities for engagement.
Exciting new opportunities also emerge with these developments. The good news is that our approach to parent communication can be more effective than ever in today’s technologically advanced society!
See what’s going on in several classrooms and schools throughout the world as we examine some efficient parent-communication solutions.
You could possibly try some new ideas in 2022! Or, you might have more original suggestions or illustrations that you’d want to offer.
The art of parent-teacher dialogue. Keeping parents informed about what their children will be learning each week, as well as upcoming field trips, birthday rules, conferences, special events, early release days, holidays, state assessments, changes to homework, and more delicate subjects like specific students’ behavioral issues and academic feedback (phew! ), requires patience, practice, and poise.
You are surely aware of the advantages of fostering strong parent-teacher relationships throughout the academic year, but how do you actually find time to maintain these vital connections with parents and other caregivers?
Here are nine suggestions to aid you in building effective communication channels as you get ready for the upcoming school year and get ready to meet a brand-new group of parents.
Make an effort to interact positively
Even if first impressions aren’t always accurate, it’s always a good idea to present yourself well. Be your best self when you first meet a student’s parents, just as you would if you were meeting a new coworker at work. Make eye contact, shake hands, smile, and ask “getting to know you” questions. Start begin the conversation by complimenting their youngster and express your excitement for the remainder of the school year’s collaboration with them.
Even though you don’t have to be best friends for life with every parent, getting along well with the classroom families early on can make the remainder of the school year a lot simpler. After all, both time spent inside and outside of the classroom contribute to a student’s achievement.
assemble your own data
On the first day, try to gather as much specific contact information as you can from the people who are watching over your students. Having your own thorough contact form can really come in handy, especially for the families of younger students with whom you need to maintain regular contact. It might seem a little excessive to ask people to fill out a form just for your class when they have likely already submitted their information for the school directory.
Consider this: even though your school’s LMS has your home phone number on file, do you know that your mother likes to text or that your grandfather assists with carpool three days a week? Great communication may be established lot more easily if you are aware of who your students spend their time with at home.
Be really clear
Inform families up front why, when, how, and how frequently you want to get in touch with them. Then, let them know exactly how they can contact you. Assure them that you respect their time, are aware of their hectic schedules, and will work to make accommodations for them—just as you anticipate they will for you.
Set a specific time during the school day that you will be available to meet in person or electronically, and try to stick to it so that people can find you when they need you. Give them a take-home reference with all the material you just discussed once you’ve finished talking to them, preferably in a fashion that won’t be quickly lost or thrown away. Fun suggestions include flip books, postcards, magnets for refrigerators, and business cards that are simple to manufacture.
Use technology to your advantage.
Since the days of distributing weekly class newsletters and safety-pinning significant reminders to kids before they leave for the day, a lot has changed. You can now text, instant message, or send an email blast to inform the parents of your class of reminders for homework, updates on field trips, and changes to the curriculum.
There are a ton of apps available that are designed expressly to assist instructors in communicating with parents, managing class volunteers, and making announcements. For easier documentation, Google Voice, for instance, emails a written copy of each voicemail. Additionally, there are programs that allow you to distribute a single audio clip to a sizable number of people (so you only have to dial once). That saves a ton of time when sending out important reminders!
Schedule face time.
To cater for erratic timetables, the situation may occasionally call for more inventive meetings. Give the opportunity for your class parents to meet with you in person or via video. When it comes to scheduling a meeting with parents, you can also attempt more conventional methods, including sending a cordial note home with a student if you are having problems reaching them by email.
If you’re still having difficulties connecting, try to schedule a talk when someone might be driving to school for another reason, like end-of-day pickup or after-school sports, to see if you can arrange a time to meet later.
record parental communication
When it comes to remaining organized in a busy classroom, keeping a parent communication record is essential. A parent communication diary will help you keep track of your interactions with parents, note how frequently they request that their kids be excused from class, and gain a sense of the communication style that is most effective. In order to improve your relationship over time, you should keep a record of all contact that takes place. This will help you remember important details before parent-teacher conferences.
Tell your family the joyful news over the phone.
You already know to call a parent if something is wrong, so why not make calling a parent a habit when something good has happened to one of your students? Set communication objectives to make an effort to engage in a few constructive contacts each week, such as mailing letters home, sending texts, or making brief phone calls.
These pleasant connections circle back and inevitably make pupils feel better about school. In addition, parents will be less concerned if you call to brag about something excellent a student has accomplished if they hear your number frequently.
Be ready.
Always be prepared to discuss not only what tactics you have already tried to try to mitigate the problem but also what other possible solutions you would like to try when it comes time to call a student’s home and inform a parent about a problem—whether it be social, academic, behavioral, or anything else.
Be prepared to modify your ideas in response to parent suggestions, and reassure them that their participation is essential to their child’s success. When you have some solutions in mind before a problem arises, parents will appreciate that you are not just throwing issues in their laps and will feel more at ease dealing with you.
Employ volunteers
Engaging the parents of your children in the classroom is one of the finest ways to stay in touch with them. Parent volunteers not only assist you by providing an extra set of hands for your occasionally chaotic class, but they also inspire pride in your pupils because they see their parents participating. Make sure you are well-versed in the volunteer policies of your school and that you have a strategy in place for using your volunteers.
The fact that volunteering doesn’t always take place between the hours of 8 AM and 3 PM should be emphasized as well. Volunteering can involve reading to the class, escorting field trips, assisting kids with small-group projects, organizing and sorting papers, giving out missed examinations, or providing assistance with after-school activities.
