Maybe it’s just me, but there are few things more refreshing than bragging to a parent/guardian about how awesome their kid is. Have a good day!” This will hold you accountable for getting to know students you normally would not connect with this early in the year.Īnd last, we have the pleasant conversations. You cannot expect to hold a conversation that goes, “Hi, I am calling to tell you how Jimmy is doing in my class. Why? Because you must learn about these students before calling home. The “kids you don’t know well” group is nearly as important of a list. It is a sure sign that at least some small correction to that negative behavior is on the horizon. She doesn’t play around.” Or, if I’m being completely honest, there is nothing better than seeing a misbehaving student squirm as you go to call his/her parent. There is no greater relief than when you hear from an admin or fellow teacher, “Oh, you should call mom. Who knows? This may be your one shot at preventing a thousand problems down the line.Īn engaged mom or dad or guardian on your side is the most powerful ally I have found in my short time in the classroom. One can hope that these conversations will prove productive. The behavior problem students should be obvious. So we’re looking at somewhere around 25 calls in a month. Maybe less depending on your school dynamics. Let’s be honest: half of those calls will get picked up. 30-40 calls in one month may sound intimidating, but it shouldn’t be. Make them all some time within the next month. Now, the fun part: put a date next to all of those names. The ones with whom you have already established a great connection.Ĥ. Brightest, most creative, most entertaining. For the sake of your sanity, assemble the list of your 10+ “best” students. These are the students about whom, if pressed, you could only give the most basic of details.ģ. Assemble a list of the 10+ kids you don’t know well at all. Ask an administrator, and you should have contact info in no time.Ģ. These are also the ones who you will normally have to track down a number for. The ones you can already tell will present you and your class with an issue at many points throughout the year (as if they haven’t already). Assemble a list of your 10+ “behavior problem” students. Where do we begin? (I’ll put it in list form because…who doesn’t like lists?)ġ. Teaching is often really unpleasant, but we still show up. But just because calling home is often really unpleasant doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it. I too have been on the wrong end of the phone call where I am speaking English and the confused Spanish-speaking father on the other end only understands the name of his son’s school and begins shouting at me to speak with his son.Īnd I am well-acquainted with the various robotic voices of different phone companies telling me that “the number you have dialed is no longer in service.” I too have been on the wrong end of the phone call with a parent high on drugs asking over and over again who I was and why I was calling her. And I know it is difficult and time-consuming–and all too often impossible. I know that parent contact does not solve all problems for all students. So we should do what we can to avoid it, and the thing that we can do is call home. Once we call the principal in or fire up the suspension system or start passing out detentions like pop quizzes, we transfer whatever small amount of power we have out of our classroom. It is our greatest and often least used tool in the constant fight against negative behavior and student apathy.īut why? Well, there are many reasons why we should–we’ll get to them all–but the most urgent reason is that we simply cannot put the disciplinary toothpaste back in the tube. Parent engagement is a key part of our job. Don’t press the back button or throw your laptop/smartphone across the room yet! Let me explain. Your principals have the power to take serious disciplinary action, right? So why not loop them in sooner rather than (too) later?īut before we get that far, I will ask you the time-honored question of beleaguered assistant principals everywhere: “Have you called home yet?” You may already be tempted (or forced, depending on the severity of student actions) to “outsource” disciplinary action to your admin team. The negative behaviors may be in the process of becoming too much for you and the proper functioning of your class. Those sweet, wide-eyed students from the first day are now the ones careening off the lockers and trying everything in their power to test both your patience and your willingness to send them to the front office. The honeymoon, as they say, has officially ended (if there ever was one).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |