So I wrote #7 after I had called some parents & grandparents, mostly about positive issues. I had a grandparent call me back and thank me for giving her good news. Any time she had been called about the student in the past, it was about something bad. She was shocked and pleasantly surprised to hear something good.
So call about the good!
Showing posts with label guardians. Show all posts
Showing posts with label guardians. Show all posts
Monday, October 17, 2011
Teaching Tip #7
Talk to Guardians
It's a bit different for me as I work in a private school, so guardians send their children here out of desire, not requirement. However, I think that guardians should be contacted for a variety of reasons, no matter the school/district.
- If you are having discipline or grade-related issues with a student, the guardian should know. This way, when report cards go out, they're not surprised.
- If a student starts slipping even though they were doing well before. There might be something going on at home or other issues. You and the guardian can work together.
- If a student is doing extraordinarily well. People like to know that their children are exceeding expectations, and it could be the thing that will brighten their day.
- If a student who was doing poorly is now doing better. Improvement! That's the point of communication. Again, guardians like to know if someone is doing better, or pinpointing a problem.
- Behavior issues should also be brought up, good or bad. Has the student's behavior gotten better so that they are now a better model for the school? Or is it decreasing? Again, you and the guardian can work together to pinpoint issues or to enhance good behavior.
**Never assume that the student is living with two parents. Even in "upper-class" districts, things happen and the student can be a foster child, can have one or both parents gone or dead, might be living with grandparents or aunts/uncles, etc. This is very, very important - and ties in with communication with other teachers (and administration).**
It's a bit different for me as I work in a private school, so guardians send their children here out of desire, not requirement. However, I think that guardians should be contacted for a variety of reasons, no matter the school/district.
- If you are having discipline or grade-related issues with a student, the guardian should know. This way, when report cards go out, they're not surprised.
- If a student starts slipping even though they were doing well before. There might be something going on at home or other issues. You and the guardian can work together.
- If a student is doing extraordinarily well. People like to know that their children are exceeding expectations, and it could be the thing that will brighten their day.
- If a student who was doing poorly is now doing better. Improvement! That's the point of communication. Again, guardians like to know if someone is doing better, or pinpointing a problem.
- Behavior issues should also be brought up, good or bad. Has the student's behavior gotten better so that they are now a better model for the school? Or is it decreasing? Again, you and the guardian can work together to pinpoint issues or to enhance good behavior.
**Never assume that the student is living with two parents. Even in "upper-class" districts, things happen and the student can be a foster child, can have one or both parents gone or dead, might be living with grandparents or aunts/uncles, etc. This is very, very important - and ties in with communication with other teachers (and administration).**
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