TT0210: Productive Parent Partnerships

How do we keep parents involved and on our side? It’s important that we work together with them, rather than get involved in any power dynamics. Sometimes, it can be easy to have a contentious relationship with parents. They might not understand what’s going on or are only hearing what their children tell them. It’s important that we have consistent communication so that we can make it clear that we want to partner with them for the benefit of their child. This week, we are talking with Julia Ciciora, one of my colleagues and team members. Julia teaches freshmen integrated math and seventh grade science at our brand new Academic Center. Julia has had a variety of experience with parents in the past. Since we teach freshmen, and now she teaches seventh graders, we are the ones introducing our students and parents to new systems of learning and grading. In the past, conferences became long explanations of our systems which weren’t efficient. Instead of spending the time talking about what extra supports the student might need on both ends, the conversation was about logistics. This year, Julia shifted the conversation. In order to be more proactive, Julia started sending out regular emails to parents explaining the structures of the classroom. Additionally, Google Classroom has been a great resource for keeping parents in the loop. Some tips for proactive communication:Email parents about every 5 weeks (before a summative assessment, major due date, or a week before grades are due) Email may include a class update including: Grade breakdown Assignment logs with rubrics Retake policy Tutoring dates Invitation to engage in discourse Major deadlines, upcoming important dates, reminder of grade deadline Suggestions for how to improve performance in class Keep a folder for each year/class/semester that has the supporting documents you include in the emails. Also keep copies of the email in a document. This will allow you to easily reference these emails without having to dig through your sent folder. Think about the amount of extra time you might have to spend answering questions and putting out fires with upset parents. It may seem like extra work and organization to be able to communicate with parents like this. However, if you are proactive with your communication, you can avoid that extra time. Put the time in on the front end and it can make your conversations easier and more effective. You can focus your conversations on the needs of the student. What strategies have you used to communicate with parents? Let us know in the comments! The post TT0210: Productive Parent Partnerships appeared first on Teacher Tribes.