Family Connections
Want to be more intentional about your connections with family? Check out these ideas to grow your classroom community.
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Tips
Send out an end-of-year survey asking parents to share feedback on what they liked best about the year, improvements they would like to see made, and suggestions for better inclusion.
Lessons with Liz
No teacher wants to feel that they do not have parental support. Yet, how intentional are we about connections with families?
I remember those first years of teaching. You are learning more than any college class could have prepared you for... just by being in the classroom. The variety of student personalities, the lesson planning, the instruction, the schedule, the fatigue... Then, you throw in a handful of parents who really just want to help but seem intimidating. I was always so hesitant to pick up the phone. What did I know? I'm fresh out of college. I have no kids of my own. I'm much younger than the parent, and the worries could continue.
BUT, you do have a connection! THE STUDENT! You are there because you felt called to teach. You are there because you are qualified and equipped. You do have more to learn, but that is a joy of teaching.... learning. You want the student to succeed. You want the best, and so does the parent. That is your common ground.
No parent will resent a humble communicator who has the best interest of their child. Working together will help you all to be more successful.
Pick up the phone. Make the call. Send the text. And do it within the first two weeks of school. This gives you a springboard from which to launch when needs arise.
When you get those parents behind you, there's not much that can stop your year from being a success.
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