There are many reasons to communicate with your students' parents. Maintaining classroom management, encouraging student motivation and improving the education provided to the students are a few results from this home communication.
Maintain Order in Class with Parent Communication
When consistent communication is kept with parents, you will be better equipped to have effective classroom management. Regardless of your reward system, when you contact parents regularly, they will be more apt to listen and respond to a behavior problem. This communication can be made through a student communication log, student agenda, or separate notes.
In order for this to be effective, you must communicate in a positive manner with the parents. If the only communication the parents hear from you is regarding behavior problems, it will be as if you were calling wolf one too many times. Eventually the parents will either stop believing you, or stop caring. Some examples of positive communication include a job well done and positive behavior notes.
Motivating Students through Parent Communication
Positive notes home may help motivate your students. When parents hear positive news from their child's teacher, the parents will hopefully praise their child at home. This praise will encourage the child to continue to be successful, whether in appropriate behavior or class work. Children want to please their parents, so the more positive notes that go home, the more the students will strive for the model behavior and work necessary to elicit another note home.
Conferencing with Parents
The best teachers are dedicated to the education of their students above all else. There will be a range of abilities in your classroom, and some of these students may need additional help in order to be successful. Conferencing with parents will provide an appropriate level of communication necessary for these students to receive the additional help they may need.
When holding a conference with a parent, be prepared to share student work as well as any modifications you may have already tried to help the child succeed. Some parents may become angry, and in such cases, allow the parent to unload as long as the conversation remains safe. Work together with the parent to come up with an amicable solution to the difficulties that the child is having.
Make it a priority to send communication home to at least one parent each week. Taking the time to do so has the potential to make your job easier as it will show the students that what happens in the classroom may end up at home. This will impact both student behavior and achievement.
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