16/8: Reflection Regarding Parent Contact

Reflection Regarding Parent Contact

16th August 2016

Last week I sent home emails to parents regarding their son or daughter failing an assessment due to not submitting their assessment or submitting it uncompleted. They were general emails based off school templates. After sending these emails I had contact with parents by phone and email regarding the matter. This contact made me realize a few points; I don't have enough contact with parents, I should have sent at at risk of failing email and sometimes calls are better than emails.

I don't have enough contact with parents
After having sent out these emails and hearing back from a few parents it hit me that this was the first time I had been in contact with some of these parents and it was negative. Although I have recently started to send home 'warm & fuzzy' praise emails on a Friday and had met some parents at parent-teacher interviews I haven't met or had contact with many.
I recall that at the start of the year a teacher mentioned that she sent home an email to all of her students parents introducing herself. This could be a few weeks into the year with a few strengths and weaknesses or goals that their son or daughter may have for the year ahead. This would also make it easier in future to send little report emails (positive or negative) along the way. It may also mean that when it comes to parent-teacher interviews parents have some idea about what their child is doing within your class.

I should have sent 'at risk of failing' emails
Although this may not have been applicable to all of the students, it would have helped for some. This pre warning home may have helped parents to have a chat to their child regarding the assessment and may have been able to provide some information earlier if they were struggling etc. It may have also helped with the shock that some parents seemed to get. Hindsight is a beauty.

Sometimes calls are better than emails
After some of the responses, both over phone and email, I had a chat to Dan Mitchell about it. He told me how he is trying to phone a lot more parents rather than sending emails, or phoning and warning about an email that is coming before it comes. Things he pointed out:
-a phone call and the effort behind it can be more respected than an email
-you are able to talk about the issue at that time
-you start to build a relationship with the parents
-you can still send the email as a formality after

He also gave me some pointers for talking to parents and a reading that he found useful as his first year of being Housemaster (linked below). Pointers included:
-understand that the parent is the biggest supporter of their child
-be empathetic and let the parent know you understand how you feel
-if you are unsure about something shut the conversation down (e.g. you need to talk to ____) or return to your main point
-repeat the parents main points back to them to show you have some understanding
-know your main point or where you stand before making the call
-don't make any promises


Link to reading: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8SyJqn0M1mhRVBnSEw5QTd4aTg