After this module, learners will be able to
1. Feel comfortable speaking to parents generally.
2. Feel comfortable speaking to parents individually.
3. Communicate a child's academic performance to their parents.
4. Communicate your thoughts and suggestions to parents.
5. Address concerns that parents have about their children’s' academic performance.
When speaking to parents more generally, refer to Module 4: Public Speaking. Keep in mind that the audience this time are older adults. Make sure to adapt your core goals for communication to be in line with this fact. The example below demonstrates how you can create the correct environment in this situation.
Ex 1: Hello, A very warm welcome to every parent present today. We know you are looking forward to speaking to our teachers individually, but first, let's hear an address from our school principal who will speak to you about general academic performance in our school body.
When you are alone with just the parent(s) and the student, make sure you are prepared to speak about that student. Their academic performance as well as their extracurricular involvement and general attitude in school should all be communicated to curious parents. It is also important to consider what you think can be improved upon in the student's performance, while praising the student for what they do well. Answering parents' questions clearly is also important. Practice answering the questions below posed by different parents (a), (b), and (c).
Ex 2: a) My son says he is stressed because of the amount of content he must memorize. Has he told you this as well?
b) I don't think my child is being challenged enough in their current class. What are the options to give them more advanced content?
c) Is my daughter getting along well with other students at school? She does not talk about her friends, so I am worried if she is making friends at all.
Practice: Find a partner. Take turns repeating exercise 2 out loud and answer the questions multiple times in different ways. Then, come up with your own questions and answers.
Act out this situation with a partner.
Teacher (a) is having a conversation with Parent (b). (a) starts by talking about (b)'s child's performance at school and answers questions.
a: Welcome, Mrs. Pooja.
b: Hello Mr. Chandra. How are you?
a: I am doing well! How are you?
b: I am also well. Can we get started?
a: Of course. I'll start by giving you this report card for Darshana. Overall, she is doing well in most of her classes, but is struggling a bit in English.
b: Oh, I see.
a: She is doing decently well on written exams, but when it comes to speaking in class, she will go silent. I believe it is because she is not confident speaking the language.
b: Is there anything I can do to fix this? Should we get some more textbooks? Or a tutor?
a: Actually, I think this can be fixed with something simple. What language do you speak at home?
b: We only speak Kannada at home.
a: What do you think of maybe having an hour where all of your family only speaks English? For example, while Darshana does her homework, only speak English to her.
b: Ok, I will try. Why do you think this will help?
a: If Darshana is exposed to English in areas of life other than school, she may feel more comfortable speaking it without being worried about making mistakes.
b: That makes sense. Do you think that reading English story books and listening to English television would help her?
a: Definitely! I don't know if she watches English language movies, but if they are interesting to her, they might also help her become less nervous around the language.
b: Ok, I will keep that in mind. Other than that, how is Darshana doing?
a: She is a very energetic child. She loves to play football and always raises her hand in class.
b: It's good to know that she's participating.
a: Are there any other questions I can answer for you?
b: No, I think that's all for now.
a: Ok. Please feel free to send me an email anytime if you have any other questions.
b: Will do. Thank you, Mr. Chandra.
a: No problem, Mrs. Pooja. Have a good rest of your day!
What did Mr. Chandra start with when talking about Darshana?
How did Mr. Chandra suggest a solution to Darshana's academic difficulties?
Do you think the solution Mr. Chandra suggested would be effective?
What else would you have suggested to Mrs. Pooja or Darshana?
What did Mr. Chandra say about Darshana, other than her academic performance? Why is this important?
Why do you think it is important to ask the parent if they have any questions?
How do you tell a parent or guardian that their child is not doing well in school?
A. Leave a voice message on their phones.
B. Send them an email.
C. Tell the student to tell their parent or guardian.
D. Speak to them during parent teacher conferences and offer solutions.
Correct answer: D. Directly speaking to parents or guardians during parent-teacher conferences will be the easiest way to communicate with them. Offering solutions and possibilities for growth is also your responsibility as their child's teacher.
After this module, learners should feel more comfortable navigating parent-teacher conferences and general conversations with parents who are inquisitive into their kids' performance at school.