Sunday, March 11, 2018
One of the changes I've noticed since my own time in school is the prevalence of parents. My initial thought with parents was that I would have to deal with them when they're mad that their little angel did poorly. However, in observations, I have seen several instances of the teachers calling a parent in the middle of the day. Since this appears to be something I'll have to figure out, what are your thoughts? Are there certain actions that would require calling a parent? Or perhaps grade-wise? And what about calling parents over positive things? How much is too much/little?
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I’ve heard from several of the teachers I’ve observed about parents coming up and wanting to know why their little “angel” isn’t passing the class, and how important it is to document any kind of behavior problem or anything else that affects grades. I’ve seen a teacher or two threaten to call parents, but never actually seen it, but I have sat in on a few parent/teacher conferences. Those always ended with the teacher saying something positive about the student, so the parent would have something to feel good about when it comes to their child.
ReplyDeleteMy sister-in-law is a kindergarten teacher at an elementary school, and she’s had to call parents during the day, but it’s usually because the child is a danger to others – once the student threw a chair across the room. I would think it would need to be something to the extreme like being dangerous before calling during the day, I couldn’t imagine anything else happening where the phone call couldn’t wait until later.
I definitely agree that it would have to be something extreme to merit disrupting class time. It's also a great strategy to always have something positive to say. I think that's important for the kids and the parents. We have to remember when we get frustrated that our attitude is contagious.
DeleteI have made phone calls both during and after school. I have called parents for positive things and negative things. Some of my students respond better to the fact that I have called a parent, than any other type of "discipline". I have called plenty of parents to let them know, both good and bad, what their children's academic progress is. Even with the children that are constant disruptors, I can usually say something good about them. I have one little boy in my 6th grade class that seldom does any work, and seldom does what I ask, but he's smart! He knows the answers, and would be doing quite well, if he would just DO the work in class.
ReplyDeleteI have called parents during class for girls in some of my classes who have absolutely atrocious attitudes, and will continue to talk and use their phones in class. These girls get to have a conversation with Mom, after I've talked to her.
So far, in my first year, I have only had one parent that tried to take me to task over their child's failing grades. I have found though, that it is extremely important to make certain that you document everything. Keep records of the children's work, behavior writeups, calls to mom and dad, letters that you send home, etc.
I think the main reason I saw teachers call parents was because it was such a more effective disciplinary action than anything else. Although I have reservations about it, it seems to be a great threat to remind the kids that this isn't Vegas - what happens here does not stay here!
DeleteFor some students, that's really all they care about. Take away PE? So What. After school detention? So what. An actual right then conversation with mom or dad? NO WAY! It's crazy, but it helps.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've observed, calls to parents generally take place after repeated misbehaviors, but before children are written up. I guess this gives parents an opportunity to help correct issues before it goes to school administration. I like the policy of addressing the issue with the child, then the parents, then let administration in on it. One thing I really want to do as a teacher is to attempt to call parents sometime during the semester to praise the students. I can see myself keeping a checklist of those positive contacts, so that each student's parents get a couple of positive calls during the school year. I totally agree with Tami, and I have heard from many teachers, that documentation on student behaviors is critical!
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