Parent-teacher communication should not be overlooked. It is important to keep in contact with parents throughout the school year. Check out the amazing examples below of parent-teacher communication ideas.
Keeping The Lines Open: Parent-Teacher Communication
I start the year with a “sunshine” phone call home to welcome the new family into my classroom and invite them to our back to school BBQ. I also send home a letter about myself, and this year want to include a parent questionnaire that they can fill out about their child. I use Google Classroom which emails parents daily or weekly depending on their settings. I email home if I have something important to tell parents either positive or negative. Kristy from 2 Peas and a Dog
Mostly via email, but I have begun using Remind as well. Meghan Mathis from Fun Fresh Ideas
I communicated with parents frequently and under positive as well as negative circumstances. Whether it was a beginning of the year postcard or an end of the day email, I made sure to keep in touch and keep my parents updated. Michele Luck from A Lesson Plan for Teachers
Texting – my parents are often most comfortable (and thus responsive) with this avenue. It also gives me some more instant investment because they see me texting them with my cell phone as a sign that I’m a true supporter of their child and ready to do whatever it takes. Sara C. from The Responsive Counselor
Depending on the type of classroom I am teaching, I utilize a variety of methods to communicate with parents. Some parents prefer email so I will write them a note with my district email. When teaching in a self-contained special education classroom I used communication notebooks. I also will call parents at various times. Note: I often times have taught students who have behaviors. Parents typically expect to hear the worst. Instead I try to find something amazing that they have done and share that with the parents. I always try to focus on the positives unless it is something where the student is in need of some extra support. Laura Zank from Research Based Teaching Tools
I make regular phone calls and emails home…for both positive and constructive reasons. At certain points during the year, I also send home traditional letters. For instance, at the beginning of the year, I send home a letter and a video link to myself explaining the flipped classroom model I’ve adopted. At the beginning of new units, I also send guardians letters so that they’re informed about what’s to come. I have a teacher website, but it’s not my main mode of communication. The Remind app is probably the single most common means of quickly conveying important information to parents. Melissa from The Reading and Writing Haven
I call and email. Sometimes I use Remind.com. Angie Sherbondy from Best Power Points for Spanish
I send home a weekly e-mail newsletter with bullet points of all the fast facts to know about what was accomplished in class and what’s coming up. Parents feel like they are in the loop and have something specific with which to discuss with their children. I rarely get “those” parent emails as a result. Lisa Spangler from Mrs. Spangler in the Middle
Telephone, and snail mail. The students I teach are in state custody, so not much parental participation is allowed except for IEP development, etc. Jenny Newberry from Bulletin Board Bonanza
I hope you found these tips about effective parent-teacher communication helpful. If you’d like to share your tips about how you keep up with parent-teacher communication open, connect with me on social media (@2peasandadog).
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