I always dread calling parents about their children. I've had some real doozies in my years of teaching. But the truth of the matter is, you'll save yourself a lot of trouble if you just do it. A few pieces of advice about a phone call home:
1. Do NOT use your personal phone. This gives parents your personal contact information which they can and will use outside of school hours. Don't make yourself a slave to these parents. Call from a school phone during business hours. If they do not answer, leave a message.
2. Keep a record of all contacts with the date, time, what was discussed, what the results were. Be especially sure to keep any negative feedback/conversation. If you leave a message, document that as well. You don't have to write a dissertation, just basic notes. Make sure you keep this somewhere you will not lose it.
3. Be pleasant but firm. Keep your comments to specifics. Examples: Katie has not turned in a single homework assignment and her average is now a 55. Joe continually interrupted my class today by talking to a neighbor. He will be in detention tomorrow after school. Nick's grades have been going steadily down hill, and he made a 34 on his last test for me.
4. Make positive phone calls as well. When students do the right thing, let their parents know. I would try to make at least one positive call home for every five negatives. Obviously you don't want to spend all your time on the phone, but an occasional positive call is much appreciated by parents.
Although, honestly, it doesn't have to be a phone call.
My school district wanted us to contact every parent each nine weeks. I came with some alternatives to phoning home just to keep my sanity!
1. Letters: Yes, the mail still runs and you can mail letters to parents. Your school will probably pay the postage as well. Ask for a parent signature and return acknowledgement of receipt. Document, even if you don't get a reply.
2. Email: Most school districts nowadays ask parents for email addys when they register their kiddos. I know not everyone has an email, but I guarantee you MOST PARENTS DO. Ask for a parent response and document, even if they don't send you one.
3. Newsletters: At the beginning of the year, create a group with all the parents in a particular class/grade. It can be a bit time consuming at the beginning to get everything set up, but after that, it is a breeze. Each grading period I would send out a group newsletter about what was going on in class. It would include upcoming test dates, projects, units of study, grading scales, class routines, etc. Again, ask for parents to respond. Asking a question like, "What's something I can do to insure (your student) is successful in my class?" increases the odds of getting a return reply. Be sure to document, even if you get no reply. (You can also do this one via snail mail though it is a bit more time intensive.) This is also something you can have on hand for Open House nights.
4. Class Website: Some schools provide pages for teachers to develop a class webpage. I made my own using Blogger, which is totally free and gives you the option for multiple pages. I would post upcoming test dates, project due dates, holidays. I would include the units we were studying, vocabulary word lists, contact info, etc. At the beginning of the year, I would send home a letter with the web address. Students were constantly reminded about the website, and I would include the web address on all information I sent home to parents. Make sure you go in and update pertinent information frequently.
Well, there you go. Hope I've given you some ideas about contacting parents. Believe me, you won't be sorry you did it.
