Start calling home about the third day of school. That gives you time to learn some very specific things about your students. The first call home should always be for good news. Tell the parent every good thing you can think of about her child. Go ahead and move your challenging children to the front of the list. Those parents are typically familiar with calls home but not usually for a string of the good things you have observed. If every other teacher that child has had frequently called on the parent to help resolve issues, that parent will immediately embrace you as “the one who finally gets my child.” The parent will most likely sit down with that child and tell her all the good things you said about her which will set you up for cooperation from both the parent and the child. Also, be cognizant that every child in your class, regardless of how delightful or challenging, is the center of that parent’s universe. Privileged families don’t love their children more or less than families experiencing poverty. All of the families that support these children have issues and challenges; they just look very different. You are likely to easily recognize and identify with those children who come from families with values similar to your own, but be sure to recognize your own learning curve for the children who come from vastly different priorities.
Most PEC students have difficulty answering the question, “How was school today? What did you do?” A great way to keep communication open between you and the parents of the students that you serve is to take a few pictures of their child during the day doing a specific activity or simply playing/interacting with another classmate. This gives the parent adequate information to begin the conversation. It also supports speech and language goals in articulation, as well as receptive and expressive language.
Pamela Webster, M.Ed. SPED
Experienced teachers, if you have a story that supports this topic, be sure to add it in the comments below!
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