Educators value the involvement and support of parents, guardians, families and communities in schools.
“Educators understand, respect and encourage the participation of families and communities in student learning and development. Educators consider the perspectives of parents/guardians regarding their children. Educators communicate effectively and in a timely manner with parents/guardians.” (BCTC Professional Standards for BC Educators)
Having the support and involvement of parents and guardians is essential to having a successful classroom. When I was a classroom teacher I had six students that would continuously get into fights (both physically and verbally) with each other and the rest of the class on a daily basis. I knew that the only way I would have a chance to be successful with them in class was if I had support from home. I contacted each of the caregivers for the students and arranged meetings so we could discuss concerns and expectations for classroom behaviors.
Parent/Teacher Meetings
Hadih Families,
Wednesday Oct. 19 and Thursday Oct. 20 are early dismissal days (pick up at 1:45). These days are used for Parent/Teacher meetings. We would love to meet with you in person if possible. We understand that everyone is at a different level of comfort in regards to in-person meetings, and also that caregivers may be unavailable during the day. Therefore if an in-person meeting does not meet your needs, we could arrange a Zoom meeting, a phone call, or even an email exchange.
Musi,
Jon McAfee (Mr. M)
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PLEASE RETURN THIS SECTION
Student Name:______________________
Parent/ Caregiver Name:____________________
I would like to set up a:
- In Person Meeting
- Zoom meeting My email address is:_____________________________
- Phone Call My phone number is:_____________________________
*An example of the letter I would send home for teacher interviews
With four of the students I was able to create a communication log that would track the students behavior during the day and that would have to come back signed the next day. I found this strategy very successful because it made the students accountable for their actions. There were clear expectations for the students, and if the students were not following these expectations their actions would be recorded and communicated to their caregivers. The students were aware of this and it was a successful deterrent to misbehave, and to conform to classroom expectations. I would not have been as successful with these students without the support and involvement of the parents and guardians in my classroom.
