Setting a goal of positive contact with each student's family helped a middle school teacher deepen her relationships and strengthen her own morality.
The demands of teaching can sometimes be overwhelming, and it may be easy to lose sight of the main reason we teach: the students. Every student is special and deserves recognition for his unique qualities. By developing a system that sends positive notes home on a regular basis, I've found that I'm watching my students' achievements, and that difficult days for students, their families, and me are quickly put into perspective.
Most teachers have to go home when a student in the classroom performs poorly - academic, behavioral, or both. My own teaching has grown positively because I have deliberately contacted families when the students have performed well.
TRACK COMMUNICATIONS
At the beginning of each school year, in addition to creating a new Gradebook, I also created a table listing all students alphabetically by last name. In the columns, I list the dates I contact families, the method (e-mail, carpool, face-to-face meeting or call) and the reason for contacting them. Throughout the year, when I have to contact a family, I am sure to add them to the table with the aim of contacting each family at least once with a positive note.
At the beginning of the year, I turn to families who are new to school in the first two weeks. In my experience, these families are worried that their child is in a new environment, and they feel relieved to hear that the year is going well from the perspective of an adult. It also helps them to have a contact person at the school for future questions.
During the year I set new goals. Last year my goal was to contact half of my students' families with a positive message from Thanksgiving. This year, my goal is to bring everyone home with a positive message before the end of January.
Reforbes, in touch with tomorrow
POSITIVE MOMENTS
My positive practices began my sophomore year when sending alarming news clouded my own optimism. I realized that if I sent a positive e-mail every time I sent a worrying e-mail, I could focus my energy on recognizing the students who made the day a pleasure.
Now, years after this realization, I try to send positive emails before concerns arise, so every family has a positive story to tell about their child's school experience.
Some of the most obvious contacts are the simplest ones. If a student does a particularly good job on a difficult exam such as an essay or a pop quiz, I'll contact his family. However, reviews are not the only way to send praise home. Contacts can be a student who excels in skills: Communicating disagreement in group work, working with a lone student during class, or empathizing with a classmate who has a difficult day. Their behavior does not have to be extraordinary; I've sent notes that students usually come to the classroom and follow the procedures, do the homework reliably, and tackle difficult tasks with a positive attitude.
To make sure that no student is in contact for negative reasons only, I color the fonts in the table. Later, when I open the chart, I can quickly search for colors and see if I have a positive grade for a follow-up, usually two or three weeks after the original contact for poor performance. I take the time to observe the students and write down all the positive moments that I can to get back into touch with a positive growth note.
SEE ALL STUDENTS
By setting myself the goal of e-mailing a positive personal anecdote, I make sure that no student is invisible in my classroom. When I scroll through my list every week, I can see which student's family members have not yet been contacted, and I can get involved in those relationships and develop them further. Too often, students are the ones who get the most attention when they look for a relationship and behave negatively, for For example, if they engage in ratings or perform poorly. The rest of the families may not hear from the school all year round, despite the great attitude and morale of their students. Through targeted tracking, I also recognize students for the habits they bring with them.
While I deliberately noticed and praised the attitudes and behaviors of my students, I was able to build a positive community between school and home. Not only do parents enjoy an insight into the daily lives of their teenagers (especially when the conversation at home is short), but also that their child is seen and recognized by an adult. Knowing that someone at school looks beyond standards, makes assessments, and creates checklists to see each child as an individual contributes significantly to strengthening the relationship and credibility between the two main parties in education: at home and at home at school.
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