| layout | default |
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| title | Communication |
Open communication between parents, students, and school is extremely important. And with that sentence, I have won first prize in the Tell Us Something We Don't Know! contest; thank you so much for all your support!
But I do care a great deal about keeping parents abreast of what's going on in school. We are really all of us --- parents, students, and teachers --- in a partnership, and uneven communication in a partnership doesn't lead to healthy dynamics.
So here are some ways, beyond Canvas or PowerSchool or what have you, that I can keep channels of communication open with both parents and students:
- Introductory postcards/emails---one to each student, one to their parents/guardians. It will read something like this:
Hello! I'm Ms. Stevens, and I'll be teaching (you/your child) physics/earth science/biology this year. I'm very excited to get to know (you/you and your child) and I look forward to a great year! If you ever need to get in contact with me, here's how to do so ....
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Bi-weekly qualitative report cards for students. Since most schools use LMSs to manage things like numerical grades, deadlines, etc., a periodic "how are you doing?" report card can focus on overall feedback and encouragement.
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Calls home for especially big deals --- both good and bad! Averaging a D because you have so many missing assignments definitely needs a call home, but so does knocking it out of the park on a major project!
I'd also like to address communication by action. I will go to all my students' games, even though sports are boring; I will go to their plays and concerts; I'll go to their Magic: The Gathering tournaments if they tell me about them. Showing up for kids does so much to build trust, and that's really the core purpose of communication.