Not every parent-teacher relationship is perfect. But giving parents a chance to be heard makes a big difference in my ability to successfully teach and support their children. I am still learning how to build those bridges鈥攁nd in the process I鈥檝e found some strategies that work.
Parent Surveys
Inspired by a colleague, I developed a survey and shared it with parents at the end of the first and third grading periods this year. The one-page survey asked parents to rate their level of agreement with statements about specific aspects of my teaching. Open-ended questions at the end gave parents the chance to share additional insights.
These were one parent鈥檚 responses:
STRENGTHS: Meeting with and getting to know families, caring and compassionate for individual child鈥檚 situations and/or special needs.
AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT: Helping other teachers understand IEP students鈥� particular needs and/or shortcomings鈥攄on鈥檛 know how much of this you already do.
I learned a great deal from these surveys, especially from asking if there was 鈥渁nything else you want for me to know.鈥� I found out some information that I may not have learned if parents weren鈥檛 given a chance to communicate.
It takes some 鈥渟tretch鈥� to open yourself up to parent perspectives鈥攂ut it鈥檚 worthwhile. I love to hear the positive feedback, but the constructive criticism is even more valuable. You can start right now with an end-of-year survey for your current students鈥� parents, and plan for more regular check-ins during the next school year.
Home Visits Before School Starts
Another strategy that has helped me is visiting students鈥� homes before school starts. I have found that if I wait until after school begins to connect with parents, there鈥檚 a greater chance of persistent difficulties or misunderstandings. For example, if a child behaves inappropriately during the first week of school, my first interaction with his or her parents is likely going to be awkward, because it鈥檚 prompted by something negative about their child. Meeting before school starts gives me a chance to focus on the students鈥� and their families鈥� personalities and interests. I get to connect with them on a positive level first.
Visiting one student鈥檚 home, I found out that she had severe medical issues that required an all-day nurse to be at the school. This need had not been addressed yet by the school, so I was glad to be able to inform the school nurse and my colleagues about the situation in advance.
At another home, I learned that a student loved playing dancing games on the Xbox 360 Kinect. The student鈥檚 mom and I were able to bond while watching the student dance her heart out. This helped her mom feel more comfortable to discuss issues with me throughout the school year.
Visiting all your students鈥� homes before school may seem daunting鈥攐r even impossible. I am a special education teacher who only serves 10 to 15 students each year, so the task is manageable for me. You likely have more students to serve and so must prioritize. You may want to learn more about students鈥� previous performance and behavior, targeting some who have had difficulties in the past. If home visits are not possible, try connecting with parents by phone.
The more you can do before school begins, the easier it will be for your students and you throughout the year.
Weekly Communication
Once you have made contact with parents, maintaining ongoing communication is important as well. This year I have tried to tell my students their grades every week or two. Then they call their parents from our classroom to report these grades. This keeps parents informed and pushes students to take ownership of their grades鈥攚hether those grades are high or low.
Another idea for ongoing communication is to create a webpage for your classroom. (My district creates a webpage for each teacher, but it鈥檚 not hard to set one up on your own). I regularly update my webpage so that students鈥� parents can see what the upcoming week has in store. This helps them anticipate homework assignments and classroom activities. My students鈥� parents never have to guess what their child is up to at school.
My experience has been that when parents see that I genuinely care about their child, they support my efforts to help their child succeed. It takes time to distribute and examine parent surveys or to check in with parents at the start of school, but these efforts help me (and my students) be more effective.
Have you surveyed your students鈥� parents this year about your effectiveness as a teacher? It鈥檚 not too late, and you might discover a lot from their feedback.
