Parent Email Communication
Below are censored copies of teacher-parent email communications from my student-teaching placement at Middleton Middle School. To best serve our students, clear communication with parents and guardians is essential. When it comes to classroom management and academic success, parents and guardians can be a teacher's best ally. A strong teacher does not limit contact with students' homes to just once a semester, at parent-teacher conferences. Instead, a strong teacher creates many opportunities to reach out and contact parents throughout the year, building supportive relationships.
I have attached copies from two instances of contacting parents:
These artifacts demonstrate my performance in Danielson's Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities, specifically Communicating with Families (4c).
I have attached copies from two instances of contacting parents:
- The first pair of censored emails come from an instance where I was struggling with a student's poor behavior in class. Realizing I needed backup, and that the parents should know why the student's grades were suffering, I sent an email home. I made sure to structure the email in a positive way, communicating my belief that the student could succeed with more responsible choices. Not long after my contact with home, I noticed an improvement in his behavior. This trend continued in the weeks following. I made sure to follow-up on my email with the parents, praising the student's change of heart.
- The second email is a positive message to home about a special-needs student. This student had shown great kindness in the classroom, and I wanted his parents to know. This was especially important because his exceptionality caused him to occasionally have behavioral issues. I made sure to praise his positive attitude in the classroom. Sometimes parents of special needs students only hear from schools about problems, so it is important to equally highlight their students' achievements. This email represents my belief that teachers should remember to "look on the bright side" and send an equal (or greater) number of positive emails to that of negative.
These artifacts demonstrate my performance in Danielson's Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities, specifically Communicating with Families (4c).
The first set of parental emails...
The second parental email...