Parent /Teacher Communication

1
Parent /Teacher Communication

• Working as a team for the benefit of the child

2
Parent/Teacher Conferences

• Problem solving
• Information getting
• Student work assessment (grading conference)

3
PREVENTIVE STRATEGIES FOR WORKING WITH PARENTS

• Find people in the community or at school who can
  translate
• Offer clarifications proactively when confusion
  might be possible
• Label spaces in the classroom and school in
  families home languages
• Go out of your way to acknowledge parents

4
Preventive Strategies (cont)

• Help parents understand expectations for student
  work
• Adjust classroom activities when possible to
  respect families values/issues
• Understand and work with extended school
  absences.
• Consider using a modified Morning Meeting format
  at Back To School Night, particularly if you are
  doing MM with your students.

5
Preventive Strategies for the First 6 Weeks of
School

• Help parents feel welcomed and valued.
• Welcome parents to play an active role.
• Build community among parents
• Start early with a special parent conference -
  invite parents to share their hopes, dreams,
  goals for their child.
• Send out a family interest inventory
• Communicate about homework
• Remember the small daily interactions - find
  opportunities to connect.

6
Steps in Planning and Conducting Parent Conference

• Formulate your message.
• Use familiar terms, not jargon.
• Avoid emotion-laden statements
• Describe specific circumstances and conditions of
  student performance, behavior.
• Use enabling phrases. Establish conference
  objective with parent by phone or letter.
• Prepare data to share.
• Decide on your opening statement. How will you
  make the parent feel comfortable and receptive?

7
Parent Conference (cont)

• Check back with parents during and at end of
  conference.
• Close by summarizing content of the conference or
  ask parents to summarize what they understand.
• Use a follow-up letter as needed.
• Set a time to communication again, as needed.

8
Why do some parents resist involvement?

• Brainstorm in pairs for 2 minutes with a partner
  about possible reasons. Be ready to share with
  class.

9
Parents may resist involvement at school because

• Fear divulging family conflicts
• Panic over childs possible failure
• Guilt over lack of parenting skills
• Reluctant to interfere in teachers work
• Belief that they would not know how to
  participate in school
• Illegal alien issues
• Past negative experiences as a student in school

10
REMEMBER

• No matter what is said by the parent, keep
  bringing the focus back to how you and the parent
  can help their child succeed.

11
Mark Siegel Case Questions

• Get in groups of 4 and discuss questions you have
  received. Be ready to share with class.