Getting it Together!

Teachers Helping Each Other Excel

Submitted By Ann Weaver

Getting Organized

Have a calendar that’s easily at hand
I have one that has the calendar and the days with times so you may keep your appointments organized (that way you don’t double book yourself!)
These calendars also have an address section in the back this puts your students information at your hands for times you don’t have your computer available to you.
A small brief case or section of your computer bag have the following files: (Get a labeler; that way your files are easily identifiable and it looks professional)
PE logs (found in TE binder),
School Calendar (Get from Laura)
Log Example (found in TE binder),
Grad Requirements (in TE binder). Having these on hand at all times is helpful when meeting with families.
Once you get your student’s phone numbers enter them into your cell phone.

Getting the First Meeting Right

Be sure to print off enrollment signature pages before going to see student and have their Student Logs. You may complete the MA agreement after meeting. If the parent has their child’s transcript (for HS students), talk with them so you know ahead of time what they should be taking. Have the Grad Req. sheet out, fill it out while the parent tells you what the child has taken. Do this prior to your initial meeting, it also makes the initial meeting take less time. This may allow you time to get some or all curriculum for the student. That way when you meet you can have a lesson plan for curriculum on hand and they may begin right away. Remember the more you are able to put into the families’ hands, the more they feel serviced and the more comfortable they will be with the fact you are organized, which makes them feel you know what you are doing, even if this is a new process for you.

No curriculum on hand? Create lessons for English a (narrative, persuasive, descriptive writing choose one). For the history, chose a subject and have them do a mini-research paper, PE (can do as you have logs on hand), Math (get them on ALEKS; there are websites where parents can download math worksheets. Parents can search the Internet by typing in math worksheets)

Getting on the Parents’ Team

Be organized – it shows them you know what you are doing. It provides you with a look of confidence.

Communication – It is important that you have open communication with the parents. That may mean you do little talking and a lot of listening, especially at first. By starting this approach you will find that eventually there is mutual communication, and the parents will even eventually allow you to have conversations with their high school children and minimal interaction with their younger children. (Communication with students may not occur for a semester or more. It depends on the family. Don’t take it personally, be patient).

If you don’t know an answer to a question – don’t make something up. Be honest and say you don’t know! Tell them you will have to get back to them, as being new to the school you need to ask what the proper protocol, procedure, or whatever it is. Give them a time frame and keep it. If it looks as if getting your answer will take longer, communicate that to the parent.

Service them – find out what their needs are and as long as it meets what the school is able to do get it, do it and again give an estimated time frame. Keep as close to it as possible – if it’s going to take longer, be honest. Communicate you’re still working on it. But, do not take too long. They’ll step in and you may be back to square one or a few steps back.

Give them autonomy- These families know what they are doing and they really don’t like a lot of interference. I found the best way to deal with their curriculum is kindly ask them for the table of contents for each subject for each student so you may enter your work in Report Writer under CA standards. Say that you need an outline with what pages, chapters, worksheets, and tests where done for each subject/child. This SHOWS them that you TRUST THEM with what they are doing. When you set this type of stage, eventually they will come to you with questions such as how to deal with; or do; or what would be best?

You will most likely communicate with the parent and meet directly with the parent and have little contact with the children. This will feel weird at first if you have not worked with this type of situation. That is why it’s important you let the parent have autonomy and that you build good communication with that parent. You will find that once you have good communication, the parents will slowly begin to let you have interaction with their children. Yet, you need to keep in mind that parent is the teacher; you are more like the advisor to keep them on the road of meeting standards. It’s a partnership.

Getting it Together!