Creating community in class is important. Reaching out to families on a regular basis is perhaps just as important to that sense of community.
Considering our class sizes, this is not an easy or simple task. Still, the advancement of communication systems has allowed us to more easily reach families. It might mean a quick email to a parent or guardian or a mass message sent through the school’s course management system. Letters home through snail mail, conferences, and parent / student orientation nights are also excellent ways to make connections with families.
With this said, it is still a struggle. In theory, communicating with families makes a lot of sense. In practice, it is not easy to do. Our school days are so hectic and compressed that in some cases we simply forget to make the call home to touch base. Or perhaps we are so busy putting out immediate fires that we just never really have a chance to get into contact with families as much as we should. I also get nervous about contacting families. Although it is rare, I will sometimes run into a rather frustrated parent or guardian who might be well aware of problems in class as described by their own student. Language and technology can also get in the way. The end result is that I am sometimes overwhelmed by even the thought of reaching out to families because I know that it simply takes time and a lot of mental and emotional energy to do so.
When I began teaching the intervention courses for reading, I decided that since the classes were small enough, I would go ahead and make an attempt to contact families every three weeks with an update. The conversations would always go like this: “Hi, I’m just calling with a quick update on your student’s progress in English. Do you have two minutes? Currently, your student has this grade. This is what your student is doing well. And here is one thing I think your student can work on. Do you have any questions or concerns? We have conferences coming up later this month, but if you have any other concerns before then, please feel free to call or email me. Have a good day.”
The call has changed my classroom in a number of positive ways. For starters, I inevitably get to learn things about the family and the student that are helpful for me. I often will ask, “Is there anything you can tell me that will help me become a better teacher for your student?” Since it does happen every three weeks (for about a total of 12-16 times a year), it is easier to form relationships with these families-- as opposed to those infrequent visits that may or may not happen at conferences. I have also noticed a change in students and their work. More than having a “zero” in the column for missing work, they fear the conversation with families where I tell them that their student is missing an assignment. Knowing that the phone call will happen is a game changer for that reason. I have also noticed a change in behavior. A student is much more likely to make good choices on a regular basis when they know that I will be consistently calling home. I will even make deals with students. I will tell them, “Hey, I’m calling home tomorrow. I want to give them some good news about how you are doing. If you do this or that, I will let them know that I have seen you become more engaged in class.”
Here are some thoughts on connecting with families.
Calling Home. Although it is unlikely that you will be able to call all of your students in the way that I am able to do so, you can call some of them. I have made attempts in the past to call four families a week, trying to reach everyone by the end of a year. In general, I like to make the calls light, positive and short. It works best when I set aside a specific time each week to do this. I also make use of the phone service that provides translation for families that do not speak English. This takes a little more set up, but I also find that these are some of my most valuable conversations.
The Good News Card. In my years of teaching large sections of honors students, I made it a goal to send home a “Good News” postcard to each student at least once a year. Not only do these help strengthen connections with families, but they are great for the school’s public relations. Just be sure that the “Good News” messages are sincere and specific. You can also make these “Good News” calls. I find that these are especially meaningful for students and families who do not regularly hear good things from school. I will even ask a class if anyone needs a “Good News” call home. It is good for me to do. I am surprised by some of the students who want me to make the call because my impression may have been that they really did not seem to care that much.
Emails. Reaching parents and guardians by email is easier than snail mail or phone, but it is good to remember that not everyone uses or has access to email on a regular basis. Mass emails are a little less effective than personalized ones since people tend to ignore them more often. It is also good to remember that for those who do not speak English as their primary language, emails pose more of a struggle. It might also be good to remember that sometimes a family will read the email but not respond. It may feel like you are sending these messages out into a great void because there are no responses, but I am sometimes surprised to learn that the messages do get read and discussed by families, but that the family does not always feel comfortable in writing a response to me.
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