I love surprises, and I hope you do too! Here’s today’s surprise! Ya know we have a bunch of shiny new teacher resource books at The Mailbox Marketplace. Well, I’m just itchin’ to give one or two away. So I’m going to! 🙂 Today’s surprise is a NEW book giveaway!
To be entered in the giveaway, leave a comment on any blog post from this week. You have three choices, which means you can enter three times!
• Tell us about your experience with student teaching or student teachers on Tuesday’s “Working With Student Teachers” blog.
• Tell us about an important woman in your life on Thursday’s “Important Women” blog.
• Tell us your best tip for working with parents on this blog.
All comments left before Monday, March 12, will be entered in the NEW book giveaway.
Happy, happy Friday!
Diane
Congratulations to Renee and Nancy M.! They’re the winners of our giveaway!
I love working with Parents and since I work for a cooperative preschool I have more contact with Parents than the average teacher.
My best tip about working with Parents is to foster that relationship. I arrange a morning in the park where the children play and the adults visit a few times a year (that way everyone can make it at least once). I make sure I send Parents emails about their child ( a funny thing the child said or did). I do several home to school activities per year and invite the Parents to see the results and Parents are invited to all class parties.
I believe Parents want to be involved and I make efforts to include them.
I work hard to foster a relationship with my parents. First and foremost, I let them know I am here to support their efforts. Because I teach a K-3 class, it’s important that we have a good relationship. Like Darlene, I send home activities that families can work on together. I also try to create an avenue for parents to talk with their children through small homework activities that require the student to inquire about information about their parents or guardians. I make sure that I call parents about the good things their children do during the week. They tend to be a lot more supportive when I call them about problems later in the year.
I think building relationship with the parents is key. I try and have a “social gathering” once a month, so that the parents can get to know each other and their children’s friends. I also send home activities that the family can do together.
I love looping. It has allowed me to know my students and families better than ever. Like Darlene, I collect family members’ emails and send a quick note to them about something specific that there child said or did in class. The biggest hit is sending an image of their child working on something.
I just finished my student clinical teaching and had a wonderful experience. My mentor teacher was such an ideal example to follow as a teacher. Following is a list to support that statement: 1. The students all love her. 2. She teaches with authority, but also with compassion. 3. She is very knowledgeable and is always seeking ways to improve on what she does know. 4. Whenever I needed any help with lesson plans or anything else, she was right there to help. 5. She was ready and willing to share any resources I might need to teach. This list could go on forever. I know that if I have any questions I can always call her for help. I just want to say thank you to my mentor teacher for the valuable experience and can’t wait until I get my own classroom!
Hmmm… – best tip for working with parents? Good communication and truly listening to what they have to say. I may have the education, but the parents know their child. I will try to do what they want for their child, and if I can’t, I let them know why and we talk about what we can do instead. I have daily notes that go back/forth with the student each day. I can give the parents a short synopsis of their child’s day, and they can let me know if anything happened at home that might impact school.
My best tip for working with parents and Ive seen a few in 30 + years is to honor the fact that you dont know more about someones child than they do. If you come into a relationship with them including their imput and opinions you will show them that it is a team effort and you are both on the same team!
Easy – COMMUNICATION!!! Start out right from the start asking the parents for their input about their child. The first day of school I send home a note asking the parents to tell me anything they want about their child. Sometimes the feedback I get is amazing and other times they tell me that their child is a Gemini which really doesn’t help me much but they feel included and that you value their input! I try to keep it up throughout the year with emails and monthly newsletters and other things. The parents really appreciate it when nothing is a surprise to them.
I work with families of 3 year old children. I go to the homes and work with the families. The children come in to school for socialization with other children their age. The home visits are the best way of working with parents. I have a good rapport with the parents, they learn from activities that I do with their children. They also come in to the school to help and learn different activities that I do with their children. We also have what we call “Family Engagement Fun Night” monthly in which the parents come in with their children and they do an activity together.
With all of these meetings, parents get very involved in their child’s education. We stress to them how important it is for them to be involved for their child to succeed.
Having a good relationship with the students is the foundation for a good relationship with the parents. 🙂
I contact parents when a student is absent, letting them know how much we miss their child when he/she is not present.
I send home progress reports (which is not required or expected for pre-k in my district) to let parents know how their children are doing & what they need to work on.
Happy students = happy parents! 🙂
I believe it is vitally important to have a good relationship with parents. When I can I try to start this relationship even before the first day of school at an Open House or via mail or email. One thing that I have successfully used for several years now is The Boomerang!! This is a 1-inch view binder that I assemble for each child. It is taken home every afternoon and returned to school each morning. I decorate and customize the front and include information on the child such as full name, parents’ names, address, phone number, and birthdate and information on myself such as name, phone number and email. Inside I place 4 manila pockets. I use computer generated labels which I decorate for: Homework, Finished Work, Important Reading, and FYI. I also put in some notebook paper and two zippered supply pouches. I place one supply pouch labeled money at the front of the notebook. If the child needs to bring money to school for any reason it can be placed in the pouch and parents don’t have to worry about it getting lost. The second pouch is place in the back of the notebook and labeled supplies. In it are pencils, crayons, scissors, glue, etc. Whatever a child might need to complete his homework should be in here so that he/she can’t say they didn’t have what was needed. In the front inside pocket of the notebook I place a computer generated letter explaining the use of the notebook to the parents. This letter includes a large graphic of two ladies (one at the top and one at the bottom) talking on the phone and they are connected by the phone cord. I let the parents know that this notebook is for Parent-Teacher Communication! It has worked beautifully for me for several years now in grades 2-4. I have found that it is best to put this notebook in a 2-gallon ziploc bag before the child places it in their backpack. It protects it more and helps it to last throughout the school year. Kids can be quite rough on things that are used everyday.
Best parent idea…make more calls on the positive side than any other! And…..get them involved!
I try to get to know all parents before school starts. We have an open house to bring in the parents the day before school starts. I try to see as many parents as possible as my students are not picked until all have been tested–I get to test them.
The best thing I have done this year is put together an organization notebook for each student. This has really helped with parental communication and responsibility for my 2nd and 3rd grade students. In the notebook there is a title page, and explanation page. Then a table of contents (yes, a standard). The next thing is a zipper pouch for any money or forms that need to be turned in. Then the students and parents sign a contract – what is ok and not ok to do with the notebook (not to draw, yes to returning homework). They also sign that they will provide $5 for a replacement notebook if lost or ruined. Then there is a reading calendar (made out of card stock) that has a place each day for reading minutes and parent signature – therefore they bring it to school and home EVERY night. It gets stamped in the morning. Next to the calendar a page stating why it is so important to read. Then the papes for parental communication – for them to write to me or me to write to them. Then a clear page proector for the school menu and school newsletter. Then a pocket folder to papers to bring back to school (homework, something that needs to be signed) and a side for papers that do not need to be returned (soccer signups, returned tests, etc). The last part is a section for education guides: multiplication table, list of sign words, etc. It look a lot of work to put together, but I truly believe it has helped with parental communication, reading improvment, and student responsibility.
Keep an open door, as well as an open mind when it comes to communicating with parents. Involve them as much as possible in every aspect of their child’s journey. Every parent wants to feel that their child is special to you in some way.
Parents are an essential part of fostering a positive teaching environment. Their presence in the classroom is exciting for all the children including the child whose parent it is. I try to include activities during the school year when the parents can come in and participate with their children. I love the idea of the morning in the park even if it is on the playground. I will suggest that to my team. These days also allow the children to interact with the children at a different level. Parents are also included on Field Trips we take with the students.
The school has at lease 1 Lunch With Your Learner day each year where the parents/special adults are invited to school to have lunch with their children. This is always a great success. Field Day for the school is another time when the parents are able to come into school to participate in a fun day with the children.
We send home an Agenda Book each day in Kindergarten with a blurb about what we have done that day at school. The parents sign it and return the book the next day. It allows for positive notes and concerns to shared in the book.
Best tip for working with parents is to have constant communication with them. I am in Special Ed. & we use a communication book (small notebook) where the teachers write in comments from the day & the parent/guardian signs it to indicate he/she has read it & they are free to write any comments or any ? they have. We aslo invite parents/guardians to visit every so often in the classroom…doesn’t have to be a special occasion but just to come observe & see how their child’s day is.
We have open house before school starts so the parents can meet with me and they can see the room. Then I send home a communication folder in the child’s backpack each day for notes. Parents can send things back to school in the folder and there is a place for a medication form in case a child has to have medicine given to them. Take-home activities are sent home in this folder also. We have mailboxes at school the children put the folders in when they get to school each morning.
I also greet the parents and children as they come into the classroom each morning. So if they have anything they need, I am there first thing.