Communication and Documentation is KEY!!!!!

Communicating with parents is one of your primary roles as a public educator. This role also can be very beneficial in establishing excellent relationships with students and their families. The majority of parents care deeply about the academic success and growth of their children and value you as a partner in helping develop them into successful adults. You will encounter on occasion negative communication and if framed right you can use that as a tool for student success. Below are some tips on developing effective parental communication strategies. ​

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• Build effective communication by contacting parents early in the year. Outline your curriculum, expectations, and your criteria for grades, and let parents know how they can reach you.​

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• Allow enough time. Your time is valuable, so are your student's parents. Allow for enough time to clearly communicate with parents about a student. Plan for enough time to collect thoughts and take notes between conferences or calls.

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• Know whom you're talking to. Get a parent's name correct. Don't assume they have the same last name as the student and make sure you're pronouncing their name correctly.

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• Maintain confidentiality. By law, you cannot talk about other students to any parent, and discourage parents from doing so as well. Parents will try to bring in he said/she said examples. Never mention other students, their families, or even their social circles. Discuss only their child.

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• Forget the educational buzzwords. Everyone is not in education, they don't care about the acronyms and newest buzzwords. Speak to them in terms they will understand but be professional.

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• Stress collaboration. Ask for parents' opinions and make sure they know you are here to help their child succeed. Be an active listener and paraphrase what the parent is saying back to them. Many times parents need to be heard and that is all they are truly seeking. Validation of concerns can pay dividends later.

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• Unreasonable requests. If a parent makes an unreasonable request, respond in a friendly, firm manner and try to work it out. You are not required to accommodate every request. Many of us will see over 100 students per day. Have them make communications on your time.

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• Use whatever works. Utilize avenues of communication that the students and parents use. Social media avenues such as a school Facebook page, a class webpage, newsletters, etc. It is your job to keep parents informed of daily happenings from assignments to projects. Showcase the incredible things your doing!

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• Communicate often and purposefully. Make sure positive communications outnumber the negatives. Share student success with their parents. Everyone enjoys their child being successful. Help yourself build that parental support and watch students respond.​

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• Be clear and Concise. When contacting parents about negative behaviors or poor assignments be very clear and to the point. State only facts, leave your opinions out of the conversation.

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• Protect yourself. Keep a log of all parent contacts (phone calls, in-person, emails, letters, social media, etc.), noting the date, time, facts, and follow-up of the conversation. ALWAYS keep copies and share with mentors and your principal.

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• Difficult communications will happen. You will have difficult interactions with parents in your career! Don't fret it happens to everyone just remember to patient and calm realizing it is not personal though it may seem that way. A parent that is highly concerned is a good thing for the student. Use this time to ensure that you are all on the same side as you all care about the student's success. Build on solutions to better the student.

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