My Town Tutors

Tag: parent teacher communication

  • Parent Engagement is a Beach?

    Author Bio: Joni Carswell, LivingTree Chief Community Officer.  Joni lives in Austin, TX with her husband and two sons who are into superheroes, anything with wheels, heavy machinery, and general demolition and destruction.  She enjoys watching her boys discover the world, sharing the great outdoors with her family, running, and delivering technology that can positively impact family life and education.

    I want a vacation.

    A seemingly simple statement that resonates with most, yet with it comes with a variety of interpretations and definitions. For me it’s a morning in the mountains, breathing the cool air and hearing nothing but nature. Someone else might have meant the sights and sounds of a new and exciting city, or the sand and warm sun on a beautiful beach.

    I want parent engagement.

    Another simple statement and yet another multitude of paths and meanings.  A year ago, I might have thought that defining and delivering on parent engagement was simpler than it is.  In reality, there are many different perspectives, definitions, and ultimate goals.

    Developing a platform aimed at delivering the capabilities to simplify engagement, communication, and coordination has afforded me the opportunity to speak with and listen to thousands of parents and teachers and hear many sides of the parent engagement discussion.

    What follows are the top desires I’ve heard from parents and teachers across demographics.  You will see that the overall desire is universal and simple:  I want parent engagement.  Peeling pack the meaning, however, shows that engagement may be mountains, beaches, cities, or all depending on who is asked.

    I want parent engagement.

    What the parent means:  I want my child to be happy and smart, and I want to help.

    1. I want to know my child is happy.
    2. I want to know my child is keeping up with their peer group.
    3. I want to know what I can do to make the school experience better for my child.
    4. I want to know where I’m supposed to be, what I’m supposed to bring, and have time to do it properly.
    5. I want to be talked to…not at.

    What the teacher means:  I want parents to join me in making their children, my class, and our school successful.

    1. I want parents to reinforce what I’ve taught in school.
    2. I want parents to join me in the education process, not question me.
    3. I want parents to trust that their child is learning and happy at school.
    4. I want to spend my time teaching, not coordinating.
    5. I want parent teacher conferences to be part of a continuing conversation…not a stressful, one time check-in.

    Despite the differences, what’s most exciting is that parent and teacher end goals are the same: a happy, educated and successful child, which ultimately delivers a successful class and school.

    So, how do we bridge the teacher’s need for continuing education lessons at home, easier parent coordination, and time for teaching with the parental need to know their child is happy and learning?

    I believe technology offers us an option (and I’ve seen it work!).  Today’s technology capabilities give us the opportunity to create a virtual window into the classroom allowing teachers and parents to take the journey together by way of shared photos, messages, assignments, events, etc.  A picture shows us that our child is happy and learning, but even more, it shows what they saw on the field trip or during the science experiment and allows us to ask deeper questions to continue the learning at home.  Quick messages from the teacher about the focus for the week or learnings from the day allows for the same deeper exchange with our children.  These simple photos and messages allow for a deeper conversation at our next parent teacher conference and show me just how much goes into the education of my child each and every day.  Better use of technology allows for the end result of parent engagement to be equally rejuvenating regardless of whether it’s a mountain, city, or beach for the teacher or parent.

     

     

  • Bridging the Parent-Teacher Communication Gap

    My Town Tutors is a great resource for parents & teachers. Find qualified tutors in your area today!




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    PJ Caposey is the principal of Oregon High School, an adjunct professor in the educational leadership department for Aurora University, and he is currently pursuing his Doctoral degree through Western Illinois University. He is the author of Eye On Education’s book Building a Culture of Support: Strategies for School Leaders. He can be found on Twitter @principalpc, and he is a guest blogger for many websites such as Eye on Education, ASCD, Edutopia, and Test Soup.

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    “They either do not communicate at all or they communicate too much. It seems like I either cannot get an answer or they are on my voice mail three times a week.”

    These exact same comments are heard in teacher’s lounges throughout the country as teachers complain about parents and in coffee houses in the same town as parents complain about teachers. Communication is such a fundamental part of any partnership, but it is still something that parents and schools struggle to get right. I, like many educators, have the benefit of wearing two hats in the educational system – that of a professional and as a parent. Through my experiences in each realm I have developed three tips that traverse the individual roles and can help to bridge the sometimes significant communication gap that exists between parents and schools. Let’s call them the 3 F’s: FEAR – The fear of the unknown exists in nearly every parent/school communication. When talking off the record with most parents they indicate that their heart rate accelerates when the see the school phone number appear on the caller ID. The thought, “Oh no, what did my child do now” races through their minds. Similarly, when a teacher checks their voicemail after working with 30 nine-year olds for seven hours and hear a random parents voice, they think, “Oh no, what did I do now.” This conversational fear is exactly why so many parent/school conversations start off poorly. There is a failure by the other party to realize that the natural defensiveness of the other person with whom they are trying to communicate. Teaching is very personal. Raising a child is very personal. Whenever any human fears that one of those two things is going to be criticized, the majority of people’s natural reaction is to become defensive. Understanding the natural fear that surrounds parent/school communications allows for the other party to set a different tone during the conversation – a tone that lends itself toward productive discourse rather than defensive talking that generally does not lend itself to the end goal – helping students.

    FLEXIBILITY – The purpose of communicating with parents as a teacher, or with a teacher as a parent, is to increase the effectiveness of the school environment for kids and thus increase student achievement. It seems simple, but that is truly the core issue for nearly all parent/school communication. With that purpose in mind, communicating effectively becomes of optimum importance, not simply communicating. Both parties must remember, communication is a two-way process. There is a delivery and reception of information – and you can only control one of those things.

    In this day and age, it is imperative that you learn to communicate in the modality the person you want to communicate with prefers. If I am a teacher who hates texting, but it is the only way I can reach Bobby’s mother – then that is what I need to do. If I am a parent who knows if I email Mrs. Smith I will get an answer that day and if I call I may wait a week for a response – then emailing is what I need to do. Too often, both parents and teachers get in a game of ‘communication chicken’ refusing to alter what they are comfortable with in order to appease the other party. Remembering that the purpose of communication is to support student growth – I encourage all parties to be perfectly happy losing that game of chicken.

    FOLLOW-THROUGH – Effective communication builds, and in many cases, requires trust. There is nothing that erodes trust in a parent/school relationship faster than lack of follow through. Many times – too often in fact – communication between school and home requires problem-solving or intervention to take place on behalf of the child.

    Conversations that generate ideas, strategies, and plans to help kids must be enacted. I have been witness to these plans failing because of the failure to follow-through by both parties.

    The rules of engagement or simple: never commit to something you do not believe will benefit the student and always follow through with what was agreed to. In cases where those two things occur – positive, productive relationships with outstanding rapport emerge.