With our busy lifestyle, being overworked, means that parents aren’t as involved as they should be. Many times they don’t even know the name of their child’s teacher. With internet, email, and cell phones, there’s no excuse that a parent shouldn’t know about their child’s progress, after all, they are paying for it. Below you will find a couple of tips on how to let parents know what’s happening in their child’s class.
Hold a general meeting. Pick a time that will be convenient for most parents to attend. At the meeting tell the parents about the books that you use the syllabus that you follow, and show them some of their child’s work.
Parent-teacher conferences: Although the can take a toll on the teacher, they are beneficial to both the teacher and the parent. By meeting together, they can talk about the child’s strengths, weaknesses, and goals to be achieved. Just as in the general meeting, make sure that you have the child’s work, grades, and tests available for the parent to see. These can be held once every grading.
Communicate regularly: I would argue about sending bulletins or newsletters home. There are couples of reasons; first off, it’s bad for the environment. And second, many of the parents may not even get them. Children lose them or simply forget to give them their parents. The good news is that with email or facebook, communication is easy. And if your email system allows it, you can tag the emails and be notified when the parents read the email. If your school has its own internet, you could try posting the information there as well.
There are a couple of things that you should keep in mind. First, be consistent. Whether you’re going to communicate once a week or once a month, make sure you keep to your word. Second, avoid sending notes on Mondays and Fridays, those are usually the busiest. Aim for the middle of the weeks. Third, summarized what has been done in class and what will be done in the future.
Be available: If parents have questions, they should be able to reach you.
By: Margie Q. Sacdalan | Teacher-III | Ala-uli Elementary School | Pilar, Bataan
