Monday, Sept. 14

I have been wondering about efficient ways of working with parents. By that, I mean being accessible, working as a partner with the parents, but also setting appropriate parameters for a healthy parent-teacher rapport. I'm sure that teachers need to establish boundaries for self-preservation. Sometimes parents will talk endlessly, overreact to small problems, or come in too often. I got a kick out of watching the teachers' mass exodus out of the school as soon as the principal took over at curriculum night.

However, rightly so, parents do have great concerns about their child's development. Laura reminded us in our Special Ed. class that parents are our customers. So, I've been starting to consider various methods for communicating with parents. Perhaps a teacher should shoot quick emails daily to parents -- both randomly (saying Sneezy had a great day) and following up to a concern a parent expressed in the a.m. (Grumpy seemed very happy after our first activity.) I tend to think that consistent communication puts people at ease. Of course, I know teachers also need to have sit-down appointments with parents to address situations. Maybe teachers, like professors, should have office hours, during which parents could call or come in, without having an appointment. ??????
I don't know -- these are things about which I'm thinking. I will continue to explore this topic and ask teachers about their favorite methods.