Teacher-Parent Communication Tips: Building Partnerships That Last All Year
Effective teacher-parent communication is paramount in fostering a collaborative partnership that lasts throughout the academic year. Trust serves as the foundation upon which this partnership is built, and maintaining open, positive lines of communication is essential for its sustenance. I emphasize the importance of engaging parents through proactive outreach, ensuring that they feel valued and informed about their child's educational journey. In this discourse, we delve into practical strategies for initiating and sustaining constructive dialogues with parents, including the significance of personalizing communication methods and addressing concerns promptly. By establishing a culture of trust and cooperation, we can significantly enhance the educational experience for both students and their families.
The discourse centers on the pivotal theme of fostering effective communication between educators and parents, which is essential in cultivating enduring partnerships throughout the academic year. Mr. Funky Teacher, Nicholas Kleve, meticulously elucidates various strategies to engender trust and maintain positive dialogue with parents, thereby enhancing the educational experience for students. He emphasizes the significance of proactive engagement, advocating for regular communication that transcends mere updates and embraces genuine relationships. Moreover, Kleve provides practical insights into conducting constructive phone calls, ensuring that educators approach these interactions with empathy and clarity. Ultimately, the episode serves as a compelling guide for teachers aiming to fortify their connections with families, thereby enriching the collaborative educational landscape.
In this detailed discussion, Mr. Funky Teacher, Nicholas Kleve, articulates the critical role of effective communication between educators and parents in creating a thriving educational ecosystem. He posits that communication should be viewed as a partnership, one that fosters trust and transparency throughout the academic year. Kleve emphasizes the importance of initiating contact with parents early and consistently, not solely to address concerns but also to share positive feedback about student progress.
Kleve provides a wealth of practical tips for educators, particularly focusing on the strategic use of phone calls as a means of communication. He advocates for regular check-ins, which serve to keep parents informed and engaged, thereby reinforcing their role in their child's educational journey. This proactive approach not only builds rapport but also encourages a collaborative atmosphere that benefits students significantly. The episode also explores the nuances of maintaining open lines of communication, suggesting that educators be receptive and responsive to parents' inquiries and suggestions.
Through this exploration of teacher-parent communication, Kleve ultimately encourages educators to view their relationships with parents as essential to student success. By fostering an environment characterized by mutual respect and ongoing dialogue, teachers can create a supportive framework that enhances student achievement and nurtures a strong educational community.
Takeaways:
- Establishing and maintaining open communication with parents fosters a nurturing educational environment for students.
- Trust between teachers and parents is essential for promoting effective collaboration throughout the academic year.
- Utilizing empathetic communication techniques can significantly enhance the parent-teacher partnership experience.
- Proactive engagement with parents, through regular check-ins, cultivates a supportive network for students' academic success.
- Addressing historical trauma in educational interactions underscores the importance of cultural sensitivity in communication with parents.
- Implementing culturally relevant practices in communication reinforces the connection between educators and the families they serve.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Be a Funky Teacher
- Winnebago Tribe
- Winnebago Public Schools
- Louis LaRose
Transcript
Yeah, he's Mr. Funky.
Speaker A:He's Mr. Funky Teacher.
Speaker A:Mr. Funky Teacher inspires greatness.
Speaker A:Makes you feel good.
Speaker A:Like your favorite playlist.
Speaker A:Keeping that fresh and funky.
Speaker A:Yes, he does.
Speaker A:He got some funky cool ideas to share for all you teachers.
Speaker A:He can empower others, students and teachers.
Speaker A:It's all about hard work and creativity.
Speaker A:He brings out the kindness in everyone.
Speaker A:He's got the passion to teach.
Speaker A:You hear it when he speaks.
Speaker A:He knows how to build strong relationships.
Speaker A:If you're seeking the best bunkiest, he is it.
Speaker A:He will empower you to improve.
Speaker A:You'll be helping others and loving it too.
Speaker A:He's Mr. Funky Teacher.
Speaker A:Yeah, he's Mr. Funky Teacher.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:This is Mr. Funky Teacher with Be a Funky Teacher dot com.
Speaker B:I'm coming to you with another Be a Funky Teacher podcast.
Speaker B:Today we're going to be talking about the first day of school.
Speaker B:Tips for teachers building relationships from day one.
Speaker B:I am so excited because today my students come.
Speaker B:After a week and a half of showing up without students, today is the day where my group of students will be showing up.
Speaker B:Now I think they're nervous and excited too, but I'm nervous and excited too and there's lots of emotions, lots of feelings.
Speaker B:Nonetheless, I am so excited to get working with students.
Speaker B:That's what it's all about.
Speaker B:So today's episode is going to be focusing on that.
Speaker B:Now before we go any further, I do want to share my three things I'm thankful for.
Speaker B:One thing I'm thankful for is a good hug from one of my sons.
Speaker B:The kind of hug that makes everything feel right in the world.
Speaker B:My son, my youngest son yesterday gave me one of those hugs.
Speaker B:My, my now my daughter and my, one of my sons is, they're kind of at an age right now where they're, they'll give you a hug but they're kind of too cool for it a lot of times.
Speaker B:So you get like a half hug.
Speaker B:My youngest is probably not too far from that but boy when I came home he told me he missed me and he gave me just a hug that melted away any trouble in the world and it was, it meant so much to me.
Speaker B:Extra sleep is another thing I'm thankful for.
Speaker B:I slept and today just a little bit longer than normal.
Speaker B:I'm not over sleeping but I just set set my alarm for just a little bit later.
Speaker B:I, I get up early anyways so I can get some stuff done but I, I'm one just a little bit extra sleep than than normal but still give myself plenty of Time to do what I need to do.
Speaker B:And let's be honest, teachers need, they need that any extra sleep that they can be get especially early on in the year because the early part of the year is so tiring.
Speaker B:And if you can, if you can get it a little bit extra, that, that might just be what the doctor orders, right.
Speaker B:So to speak.
Speaker B:I think any doctor would recommend make sure you get plenty of sleep.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:But teachers don't always get the sleep they need.
Speaker B:Especially I kind of feel like I've been kind of burning it on both ends, so and so just to get that little bit extra.
Speaker B:And boy, it put, put a little bit of extra pep in my step this morning.
Speaker B:And the third thing is a warm bed.
Speaker B:Such a simple thing, but it's a gift when you can just lay down and just let your troubles melt away in a warm bed and just wake up feeling refreshed.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:It's delightful.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:I am.
Speaker B:So with that being said, let's get into the.
Speaker B:The meat and potatoes.
Speaker B:The meat and potatoes.
Speaker B:First day of school.
Speaker B:First day with students getting specific.
Speaker B:Well, let's.
Speaker B:I want to talk about the, the energy of the first day now.
Speaker B:There are definitely, there's excitement, there's nerves for both students, for teachers, like what.
Speaker B:What is to come?
Speaker B:What's going to happen?
Speaker B:Or am I going to, am I going to like my, my.
Speaker B:You know, the kids are thinking, am I going to like my teacher?
Speaker B:What's he going to be like?
Speaker B:Especially since they don't even know me because I'm coming from out of the district, coming in as a brand new teacher to the school district.
Speaker B:They really don't know me now.
Speaker B:The fourth grade team did let them know one of the teachers particularly knows me and kind of told them a little bit about me, share some stuff and just to kind of get them put their minds at ease a little bit in the spring.
Speaker B:But it's still.
Speaker B:You can tell a person, but until you meet a person and start working with them, there are still some unknowns, no matter how much you reassure someone.
Speaker B:So, you know, the first impression matters more than a perfect lesson plan.
Speaker B:It is.
Speaker B:I'm taking very seriously the first impression that I have today to working with students.
Speaker B:I want to give a good first impression that.
Speaker B:Will there be challenges even on the first.
Speaker B:Of course, that's working with kids.
Speaker B:There will definitely be hiccups to the first day.
Speaker B:But overall I want to give a good first impression.
Speaker B:I'm not worried about a perfect lesson plan.
Speaker B:I'm worried about Giving a good impression.
Speaker B:My first day goal is to make every student feel seen and safe in my classroom as much as you can on the first day of school because they don't necessarily know me.
Speaker B:So I have to build that trust, that rapport, the respect up.
Speaker B:But I definitely want to make each student feel seen and heard.
Speaker B:I, I'm going, I'm going to try to learn something personal about each student and I'm going to try to set the tone for how our classroom community will work.
Speaker B:That's the biggie right there.
Speaker B:I'm going to really try to set the tone for how my classroom community, my classroom environment is going to be and how it's going to work and function.
Speaker B:A few connection focus tips for for all the teachers out there.
Speaker B:One is to, to really try to greet every student by name.
Speaker B:Maybe not right when they're coming in as you learn their names, but using their names, starting to practice their names, learning their names, trying to associate students with the names that it's really important to really get used to the names and let students know that you're really working on learning their names because that's their names are important to them and so use their names and use their names correctly.
Speaker B:You say their name correctly, practice their name correctly.
Speaker B:If they go by a different name, if, if they have a certain name but they kind of go by something else that they're, they're called, then use their, the nickname that they prefer it.
Speaker B:Some teachers say no, I'm going to use, I've encountered somebody like say, say I'm going to use only the name that's on there, you know that their parents registered them them with.
Speaker B:And this is like why are you having a fight over what you're going to call if students come up and if a student comes up and says hey will you call me this?
Speaker B:Here's my name.
Speaker B:But people call me this.
Speaker B:Can you call me that?
Speaker B:What's the issue?
Speaker B:We want students to feel safe, seen and heard and welcomed in the classroom.
Speaker B:Use the Nicole or use the name that they ask.
Speaker B:Another thing I recommend for teachers for connection focus tips for the first day is to use good icebreaker questions.
Speaker B:They give every student something to share.
Speaker B:I'm really looking at, I have some questions that I want to ask the class and I want every student to be able to share in some capacity, whether with each other, out sharing with the whole group.
Speaker B:But really low stakes questions that even if you have a student who had a really bad summer or really maybe a challenging home life, every student still has something that they can share that's meaningful, that's contributory, contributes to the class.
Speaker B:And, and, and so I'm, I'm very mindful about the specific questions I have the, and the specific questions I ask.
Speaker B:Now I, I'm.
Speaker B:When I walk in a room and I start working with students, I'm really careful about my body language.
Speaker B:What's my body language saying?
Speaker B:Am I standing in front of students with my arms crossed?
Speaker B:Am I giving a body language that I'm annoyed they're there?
Speaker B:If I am, then I need to change something.
Speaker B:And so especially the very first day with making those connections, I need to think about, hey, what type of message, what type of vibe am I giving off?
Speaker B:What is my vibe?
Speaker B:And so that's something I'm going to be thinking about constantly today is what is my vibe?
Speaker B:What is my energy that I'm giving off to my students?
Speaker B:I'm not going to have the perfect words or the perfect things to say in everything I say.
Speaker B:I'm a flawed human being just like everyone else.
Speaker B:But I do want to be mindful of the vibe that I give off if I'm standing there with my arms crossed or if I'm at.
Speaker B:If a student's responding and I look annoyed, maybe I'm not annoyed, but I look annoyed, then I need to change that because how are students going to receive that?
Speaker B:Nonverbal communication is almost more powerful than verbal communication.
Speaker B:So it's something I'm constantly thinking about and I encourage you to think about too, when you're working with your students.
Speaker B:I encourage you also to keep some of those early activities, those first days of school activities, low pressure and collaborative as you're building that community in your classroom.
Speaker B:Keep them student centered.
Speaker B:Keep them student centered.
Speaker B:Student created.
Speaker B:You can not student created.
Speaker B:But student centered is kind of what I'm looking forward.
Speaker B:They're very interactive because you'll, you'll be going over some expectations too.
Speaker B:But you want to have some of those student focus things where maybe it gets them up around a room.
Speaker B:Like, like find someone who, blah, blah, blah, I don't know.
Speaker B:Or you know, even if they maybe have to create in groups, I have my classroom set up in clusters.
Speaker B:Maybe they have to do something in their groups and everybody has to be included and contribute to something that is shared out or something that they have in all, everybody in the group has in common.
Speaker B:And then, you know, someone in for each spokesperson could share out for each group.
Speaker B:Or maybe I'm thinking here, maybe find four things the whole group has in common and each person can share out, and that's a way of kind of building that community too.
Speaker B:I might do that.
Speaker B:I'm liking that idea.
Speaker B:So I kind of.
Speaker B:Sometimes I have kind of a tentative plan, but then sometimes I play with the ideas too, as I go into things.
Speaker B:And some of those best ideas kind of are constantly evolving and growing.
Speaker B:Now I also want to think about the importance of reflecting.
Speaker B:I will reflect after.
Speaker B:After my day is done with students, I'm going to reflect on a day.
Speaker B:I'm going to think about, what did I say?
Speaker B:What did I do?
Speaker B:How do students respond?
Speaker B:Is there areas that I need to kind of be aware of when working and engaging with students?
Speaker B:Are there concerns I have about students?
Speaker B:Did I see some stuff that maybe were concerns to me and I need to address or collaborate with other teachers on those are opportunities to learn about the students.
Speaker B:So that way I can get ready and then I can prepare to be the best teacher that I can be for students.
Speaker B:Ultimately, the first day isn't about cramming in every procedure or filling the whole day with academic tasks.
Speaker B:It's about building relationships and making sure your students know that there is a safe place in your classroom, that you belong in your classroom, and that you're going to do everything you can to make it a great school year for them.
Speaker B:That's what we as educators are charged to do, empowered to do, and that we have to do for our students.
Speaker B:So wherever you're at, I want you to have a great school year.
Speaker B:Just a.
Speaker B:A wonderful school year.
Speaker B:I love the first day, first day with students.
Speaker B:It is such a.
Speaker B:An exciting day.
Speaker B:I'm this.
Speaker B:I, I just woke up this morning so excited because it's, it's.
Speaker B:For me, it's kind of like it.
Speaker B:For me, it's like an adult version of Christmas morning for, for a teacher.
Speaker B:Because I get to meet my students that are going to be in my classroom, and I get to learn their personalities, I get to learn their strains, their areas of opportunity.
Speaker B:And I know it's going to be a great school year.
Speaker B:It's a very promising school year.
Speaker B:So with that being said, remember to inspire greatness in young people and don't forget to be a funky teacher.
Speaker B:Bye now.
Speaker A:He's Mr.
Speaker A:Bulky Teacher.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:He's Mr. Funky Teacher.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
