Building a Bridge

One of the many things I wish I figured out earlier in my career is how important parental involvement is. I don't usually get all technical, but I have done a lot of research in this area. Children are more likely to succeed academically and are less likely to engage in violent behaviors if their families are involved in their education.

The problem is many parents feel that they are unwelcome in their children's schools and some teachers, myself included, feel like they are under attack when parents want to come into their classroom.

So how can we bridge this gap? The first, and one of the most important things to remember, is to not only contact parents when their child does something negatively. You should also contact them when you have celebrations, even small ones. I make it a point at the beginning of each year to get all of my parent's email addresses. Some people are reluctant at first, but they usually give in after I keep sending home the paper asking for it over and over. I like to email my parents each time I see any improvement in their child in class. Be it academic, social or emotional, all are important. Parents love to get good emails about their children. Plus, it makes them realize that you actually care about their child.

There are a few things to remember when conferencing with parents to make sure they stay on your side. The first thing is to try your best to accommodate their work schedules when scheduling a conference. I know it stinks to have to stay until 5:30 on a Friday afternoon, but if a parent knows you are willing to do that then it let's them know that you really care. Another thing to remember is that you are not speaking to another teacher. You would not like your doctor speaking to you using technical terms, so please remember that when talking to parents. Don't treat them like they are dumb, just be straightforward and explain things using "people" terms.  The last important conferencing tip is to ask parents for their concerns and suggestions. Let them know that what they think matters too.

Keeping parents up-to-date is super important. Some teachers send out newsletters on a regular basis. I wish I could say that I did that. I've never been good at remembering to write them. Instead I rely on technology. I keep my website updated and when something important is coming up, I send out emails and texts. I am in love with Remind101. It is a web-based program that sends out mass texts to parents when you need to let them know something. It uses a random phone number so that parents can't see your actual number. To learn more about it you can download the app or visit the website at  https://www.remind101.com/.

It is also important to keep your parents updated on their children's grades. Now that many schools allow their parents to check their students' grades on-line, this is a lot easier. Many of my parents don't have time to do this though. To solve this problem, I send home Monday Folders. Each Monday, the students bring home a folder of all of their corrected work from the week before. Parents expect it to come home each Monday so this fixes the problem of students throwing all of their work into the bottom of their book bag and never showing it to their parents. The other important piece that I include in the folder is a grade sheet. It contains all of the child's current grades up to that day. Parents are required to sign it and write back if they have any questions or concerns. This also solves the problem that all teachers have right after report cards go home and parents try to say that they had no idea that their child was failing.

One more thing that you can do is invite parents to come in and help. Many teachers don't like to do this though because they feel like they are being watched. The key to this is to keep the parents busy. Make the parents let you know before they come in so that you can prepare work for them to do. The busier they are, the less likely they will be scrutinizing you.

And last, but certainly not least, don't forget to thank your parents. Parenting, just like teaching, is a hard job. Just like we love parents thanking us for working so hard with their children, they love to hear it too.

Keeping that strong relationship with your parents will make your year 100 times smoother!