Communication with Parents

Communicating with parents is one of the most important skills to have as a teacher. Parents can offer details about their child that you could never discover in a classroom environment. These details can often be crucial to a student's learning. As such, fostering Parent-Teacher relationships is necessary for maintaining student wellness. Additionally, as teachers, it can make a large difference in how you teach a student if you are fully aware of the expectations set for them at home. It is also very helpful for parents to stay informed on what/how their students are doing at school. This knowledge can allow caregivers to meet their child's needs outside school. All of these boxes can be checked through communication with parents.

Weekly Folders

Weekly folders are a useful tool to ensure parent-teacher communication. Students are sent home every week with a folder containing things like behavior updates, lesson plans, forms for upcoming events, and completed school work. The parents then sign the folder, to confirm they have seen it, and send it back empty to be filled for the next week. This process allows me as a teacher to make sure that parents are seeing updates. It also provides a way for me to consistently communicate student grades and behaviors well. I love these folders because the students understand that they shouldn't open them until they are with their guardian(s), thus, I can be confident the information will make its way to an adult.

Behavior Updates

In weekly folders, I will send updates on not only a student's grades and school events but also behavior in their class. A child's behavior may differ greatly at home and school. It's important to keep parents informed on how their child acts when a guardian isn't around. This ensures that the parents see all sides of a situation, not just their student's perspective. It also puts more responsibility on the child to be well-behaved, because they know that their parents are informed. I love this method because I am able to send not only negative but also positive updates home with students. This means their parents can congratulate them on their achievements and meeting goals.

Lesson Plans

Weekly folders are also the perfect opportunity for me to send out lesson plans. Lesson plans keep parents informed on what we will be doing in class each week, helping them to stay involved even when their child is at school. They give parents the chance to see what type of homework they can expect their students to be working on. If there's a subject their child struggles with this is a way for the parent to prepare for any outside help that may be needed. I will not send out the entire lesson plan for each day, of course, but a revised version--touching on the main subjects and what we will be doing in class to learn them. I love lesson plans because they allow parents more connection to their students and are helpful in preventing students from procrastinating since their guardians know what work is expected of them.

Class Dojo

Class Dojo is a digital platform that connects parents with teachers. The platform sends instant messages, pictures, and videos to parents either privately or on the class story--a stream for whole class messages. As a teacher, I would utilize Class Dojo mainly for sending pictures and videos of activities throughout the week and for reminding parents of events or project deadlines. Secondarily, I would use the points feature to reward good behavior. This feature allows teachers to give virtual points to their students as positive reinforcement. The points can then be "spent" in whatever way the teacher chooses: toys, lunch bunches, homework passes, etc. I love this because it allows me to have in-class rewards--which parents are aware of and can talk about with their children. I also love how the app sends pictures digitally so that guardians can easily download them to their devices.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Parent-Teacher Conferences are a staple in most elementary schools. With a base of one to two meetings a year, they allow me to meet and form relationships with parents and guardians. The conferences are the perfect opportunity for me to answer any and all questions that parents may have. They are also a great time to share progress reports and discuss what each grade means, as well as how parents can help their children. A large factor in parental attitudes towards teachers relies on their relationship with the teacher. These meetings are a perfect chance to form strong, positive, relationships with parents so that they refer to me in a more positive light at home.

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