Jennifer Dixon TWS 10: Communication and Collaboration Communication with Parents/Guardians

October 18, 2013

I will begin the school year by sending a letter home with the students during the first week of school. In the letter, I will give some personal information about myself such as where I attended college, where I am from, and my hobbies. This letter will also let the parents know my expectations and rules for the school year. I will inform parents of the best way they can get in touch with me if needed. The letter will be very positive, warm, and inviting so that parents feel comfortable with communicating with me. See attachment 10.1 for an example. My second form of communication will be a note, email, or phone call to parents with a positive statement about their student. In the note, email, or call I would include something that the student did in class such as: helped another student learn something, was very engaged and proactive in class, participated more than usual, helped the teacher or another teacher in some way, made an outstanding grade, or made improvements in any area of school. I realize that it is important for students to receive praise when they are being proactive students. It is also important for the parents to hear good things about their children and not only negative comments and complaints. Parents would be more likely to appreciate and respect me if they feel like I have a positive outlook on their child. When and if I come to the parents with negative remarks, it will help if I have previously told them something positive about their child. Attachment 10.2 provides an example of a parent letter. The third form of communication I would make with parents/guardians would be personal conferences, in the case of negative behavior. I would call these parents and let them know there are some problems going on with his/her child, then plan a time that they can come in and meet with me. In this conference, I will explain thoroughly what the situation is. More than likely, the parent will already be aware of the situation because this will not be the first time they have heard about it. I will be sure to let the parent know as soon as a problem arises so that it can quickly be fixed. This conference will be for cases that have not been dealt with after parent acknowledgement. Before the conferences, I will make sure that I collect data and evidence of whatever the problem might be. If the problem is with grades, I will collect samples of the students work. If behavior is the issue, I will begin documenting how the student behaves and have other teachers (related art teachers) keep notes to give to me. When I meet with the parents, it is important that I have information to back up anything I say. Communication with Colleagues One important person that I will maintain contact with over the school year is Mrs. Goldman. She and I both teach math and science to 4th grade students. We work and plan together on a daily basis and it is very important that we are able to communicate well together. We share ideas for lessons and are able to talk about the needs of our students.

Jennifer Dixon

October 18, 2013

Another person that I will communicate with over the semester is the librarian, Mrs. Insalaco. She has access to many resources that could be very helpful for me as a classroom teacher. If I am teaching on equal rights in social studies, I could send her an email asking if she could gather several books on that subject for me. (See Attachment 10.3). The possibilities are really endless in this situation. If my students are working on research projects, I could ask her to use their library time to learn how to conduct research on computers using the Internet. It is important that I maintain positive communication with this teacher because she offers many resources for my class to use. The third and most important person for me to communicate with is the principle, Mrs. Perrin. She is not only my boss, but also an advocate for my students and me. Over the school year, I will send her emails to keep her updated on what is happening in my class and with my students. Every two weeks, I along with the other 4th grade teachers will meet with Mrs. Perrin to discuss situations going on with our students, updates in the requirements, and test scores. This is also the time to relay specific concerns about certain students that may need to be referred to RTI. This is a very important time and it will be necessary that I come prepared to these meetings so I can give Mrs. Perrin an accurate report.