Depending on where your school is located, finding good class volunteers may be a tough job. If you follow the tips below, you might find that volunteers can be your best asset for pulling off great class projects and making a hectic day manageable. h4. Who Wants to Volunteer? There are two types of parents who will be willing to volunteer- ...

“Never confuse activity with productivity. You can be busy without a purpose, but what’s the point? - Rick Warren” I think this quote applies to administrators, teachers, students, and parents and we need to really take this to heart. So, I decided to write a little note to each. Dear Administrators, • Please don’t ask me to fill out reports when ...

The key to a successful school year is positive parental involvement. To develop successful partnerships with your students’ parents, try the following three-step approach: 1.) Open the Lines of Communication • Send home a detailed welcome letter the first day of school, or mail it before school starts. The letter should contain information about yourself, your policies and the curriculum. Most ...

Erica Stevens* had a student in her ninth grade English class who excelled at creative writing but struggled with analytical writing. She avoided it by refusing to do her homework. Every time the student failed to submit a homework assignment, her parents pressured Ms. Stevens to give her a pass because they didn’t want the missed assignments to affect her grade. ...

Parent involvement is one of the most important factors in the academic success of your students. Even though parents come in all forms and their level of involvement in your student’s academics may or may not be ideal, always remember that they are an ally and not the enemy. They love their child and want them to be successful, and ...

Most schools hold a “Back to School” or “Meet the Teacher” night during the first few weeks of the year. If you are like most teachers, this occasion is about as appealing as scratching your nails across a blackboard. Still, if you approach this evening the right way, it can set the tone for the entire school year and put you ...

Perhaps we look stupid, but you wouldn't believe the crap parents throw at teachers sometimes. I mean, we spend eight hours a day with your kid...remember us? Hi, we're not morons. While I am all for the school of thought which believes that parents know their children best...I just think that sometimes, parents need to admit what they really know instead ...

One of the best defenses against misbehavior is to enlist the support of the parents and guardians of your students. Although this will take effort on your part, the time you spend building a bridge between school and home will reward you many times over during the course of the school year. When students know that teachers and parents are working ...

Generational differences have been on my mind lately because in my job, I deal with it all the time. The classic scenario is a parent or teacher of the Baby Boom or Gen X parent or teacher being frustrated with the Generation-Y kid’s behavior. The kid always text messages in class, or they spend all their time on the computer or ...

U.S. Assistant Deputy Secretary Morgan Brown today announced the release of a new publication, Engaging Parents in Education, at the 2007 National Parental Information and Resource Center Conference in Baltimore, Md. Brown discussed the importance of informing parents and students of their education options under No Child Left Behind and engaging parents in decisions about their children's education. "Thanks to No ...

Hold a meeting for the parents of your English language learners to help them learn about your school. If you want to involve parents in their children's education, you need to find some common ground. As ESL professionals we believe in acculturation, not assimilation. Although we advocate for our students and their parents, we also want them to do things our ...

Parents can be overbearing, and working with them can cause the most dedicated teacher to burn with frustration. But from the parent’s perspective, dealing with teachers can be an anxiety-ridden, exasperating ordeal. The biggest problem stemming from the disconnect between parents and teachers is that students are caught in the middle, their potential to advance hindered. Last month I explored challenging ...

After a conversation with a mother who thinks her child’s profanity is no big deal, Learn Me Good’s Mr. Teacher is looking for worst parent-teacher conferences ever. Edna Lee writes an imaginary confession to a mother who’s uncovered her secret ambition: To ruin her child’s life. > "Everything your child has told you about me is true. > The reason he ...

My daughter goes to the school where I teach, so this past weekend I attended our Open House as both teacher and father. As I sat watching my colleagues present algebraic equations on white boards and quotations on chalk boards, I thought about a “how to” guide for attending these types of dogmatic dog and pony shows from a parent’s perspective. ...

“Parents are universally accepted as a child’s first teacher. It’s intuitive, and we usually know it from our own experience. Schools that embrace this reality and recognize the important role parents play in their child’s education are better able to create curriculum and build relationships with parents that have a profound effect on a child’s journey through school.” David Flatley, Change.org ...

1. "Don’t assume I know anything." Dear Teacher: "As a new parent, I know nothing. Please do not assume I know when things are (events, functions, etc) or what things are (the annual silent auction or even PTA). You need to be specific and explain in detail all the little and big things I will need to know as a parent ...

If you're a teacher and a parent, you might have the kind of perspective that makes you a better teacher. If you're not a parent but a teacher, it's helpful to get some input from the other side. I asked parents (who are not teachers) to share what they wished they could say to their childrens' teachers - but didn't have ...

The necessity of maintaining a strong teacher-parent relationship is one of the areas prospective employers like to delve into during an interview, so take a few minutes to evaluate the tools you use to establish and sustain the communications that serve as the basis for that relationship. Here are some guidelines to help you build the relationship right from the start. ...

Communicating with parents/guardians is one of the biggest responsibilities that a teacher has in their line of work. While you have the opportunity to interact and affect the lives of the children you teach, they ultimately are being raised by parents/guardians who have a strong interest in their well being and education. If you fail to keep a parent/guardian apprised of ...

As an educator for over twenty-six years, I have always advocated that schools need to get involved in important issues like feeding the homeless, Live Aid and Band Aid, helping 9/11 victims’ families, supporting our veterans, and assisting those people hit hard by disasters like Hurricane Katrina. I have been reluctant to support schools dealing with what goes on in the home. ...