Hi, Teachers!
The above picture shows what my reaction USED to be when I spoke with parents. I dreaded speaking with my student's parents. I wanted so badly for them to like me, and I was nervous that I would do something wrong. If I had to call home or email home because something bad happened... my stomach would be in knots all day until I made contact! Does this sound like you? I hope not, but if you can relate, I want you to watch my short scope. You can catch the replay right below!
There were a few tips that I talked about that I swear by! Here they are...
1. Run your Back To School Night like a Morning Meeting!
It builds a community among parents and it helps them to see how fun you are as a teacher! I ran my last Back To School Night like a Morning Meeting, and several parents told me it was the most engaging Back To School Night they ever attended! I can assure you I never got that kind of compliment in the past.
You can read more about how I've done that here. I planned out my entire Back To School Night, and you can steal my template for doing this by reading the post I linked to. You can also get a super cheap Back To School Night powerpoint presentation in my store if you're lazy and don't want to make one from scratch.
2. Email or call home for positive news regularly.
This is a big one. What parent doesn't dread a call or opening an email from a teacher? Only a parent who has been conditioned to expect GOOD news. I wish all parents felt that way! I make sure to contact every student's family every month at the very least. It's actually extremely manageable, and it doesn't take me much time. Read about my system for this here.
3. Have students fill out a weekly exit ticket.
This builds great communication between students and their families. When families know what their student is learning and knows what goes on in an average day or week, they feel more connected to you. BOOM. Better relationship! You can read about my free weekly exit ticket here. It's meaningful morning work every Friday in my classroom, and it helps students to be more self-directed since they are goal-setting and reflecting. Grab it for free by clicking the picture below!
4. Send home a classroom newsletter regularly.
I've mentioned recently that using a newsletter makes a big difference to my student's families, and it seriously helps to maintain my great relationships with families. I told you how to use this strategy for free here. The best part about this? IT'S SUPER QUICK AND EASY TO USE. This is what a sample newsletter looks like in my room:
Those are my best tips for you! Seriously, catch the replay on Periscope or by watching the video above. You will see how easy this actually is. It's not as time-consuming as you might think! What do you do to connect with families and build stronger relationships with them?
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