Hello??? Is anybody even reading this?
Do you ever feel like this when you send out parent emails or newsletter?
How do I reach all my parents? How do I keep them involved in their child’s education? How much is too much information? What will my parents take out of my communication? Is technology the answer? Am I ready to try classroom blogging?
First things first, what types of parents are out there? How much involvement do they want in their child’s lives? There are three main parenting styles. First you could have a “cop” for a parent. They demand their children obey and accomplish all goals with perfection. When communicating with this type of parent, they will want to know everything that is expected so their child can achieve perfect results. Second, you could have a “social worker” for a parent. They minimize consequences and try and protect their children. When communicating with this type of parent, they will make excuses for their child and try and cover for their child. Finally, you could have a “coach” for a parent. When communicating with this parent, they will be active but allow the child to take responsibility. They will not cover for their child and will respect you as the teacher. Now, how do you reach all types of parents in a reasonable yet effective way?
Scholastic offers several different ideas for communication with parents. Ideas like phoning home, writing a note or email, or sending out a newsletter, are great ways to keep your parents involved. The site also offers tips for writing a great newsletter. Keep the tone the way you want to convey your room, keep the length short and to the point, and decide how frequently you want to send a newsletter. But what can be done to showcase the technology generation z is so used to? Is classroom blogging an answer?
Education World describes blogging as “elementary. Students as young as kindergarten are blogging daily. Research has shown students become better writers when they have an authentic audience over the internet. So what does this mean for my classroom? Students can blog along with their teacher, or contribute their own information for a blog. Education World offers tips in getting started with blogging whether you are a primary or an intermediate teacher. You can also find advice for safety tips.
Since research shows students become better writers when they have an authentic audience, ThinkQuest is a tool you can use to not only keep parents active in their child’s learning, but you can allow your students to publish more than just their writing on the internet. It has tons to offer for all ages of students and is a free program. Blogging would only be the beginning.
Whether you choose to communicate through blogging with your students or not, I think all students need to learn to be Cybersmart. They will not only benefit from it in the classroom but at home as well. There are so many resources in technology to use for communication, take the plunge and try one out. Your generation z students might thank you and it might rub off on your parents too.
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I have mixed feelings about how much to communicate with parents. I email or call home when there is an issue or if I have a student who has done an exceptional job on a project. It is important that the parent feel we teachers value their role in a child's education. Recently it has occurred to me that students should be communicating with their parents and vice versa. Much to my own children's distress I still ask daily what they did in school. I ask specific questions, how'd your history presentation go? or did you get a grade on your term paper? This way I feel I know what's up. I'd say at some point if we constantly send out newsleters or blogs we are just doing one more job that should be a parent's responsibility.
ReplyDeleteJenna--
ReplyDeleteIt is great to see your concern regarding getting information to parents and that you recognize that the same piece going home may hit three different types of parents! As an elementary teacher, I am sure that there are a number of things that you need to relay to parents. As a high school teacher, I rely on my students to do much of that part and I find myself calling in cases of issues or a "way to go".
I am sure that over a years time and trying many different methods, you will find one that matches not only your style but suits the needs of your students, too. Good luck...
Jenna,
ReplyDeleteIt's so interesting that you write this blog of all weeks. The week after I have parent-teacher conferences. I would say that I have all the types of parents except the "coach" type, unfortunately.
I tend to give my parents too much information, thinking that I'm being helpful. In the end, it ALWAYS backfires on me, which then makes me feel like a terrible teacher. But I know that I am doing the best that I can and I move on.
When I began teaching in January I set up a website through Scholastic, where I posted all of my students' homework. This was a huge success and parents loved it. The administrator at my school decided that ALL of us teachers need to have a website. The more I do this, the more I have mixed feelings. We are not teaching our students responsibility by having their assignments posted online. However, we continue to do it. One of the disadvantages of the website is if it isn't updated daily, I hear about it from parents. It isn't often that I don't update it each day.
What an interesting approach to the different types of parents. Since our school is so small many of our parents are coaches with a few cops and social workers thrown in the mix. I guess I have never heard the actual terminology for "parenting."
ReplyDeleteBlogging is certainly a start when it comes to students with their writing and communication. Parents can be informed through e-mail, a phone call, or a note home concerning their child's progress. I feel going overboard could be detrimental and a little too much when our time is limited to begin with. Great blog and very interesting.
I try to communicate with my parents often but in a generic newsletter. I know thta some of my parents read them while others throw them straight in the trash can. I have some parents without a clue to whats going on and others who want to sit in m classroom and hold their childs hand. I completely understand the frustration. Last week I sent an email to a parent about her son cheating because she refuses to answer the phone. Her response was that's nice but what is his grade? Responsibilty has seem to have gone out the window and I feel like I am talking to walls. Great Article!
ReplyDelete