5 Teacher Hacks for Parent Communication

1. Reach out to families with something positive at the beginning of the year!

This was probably the most important thing for me. When I reached out to all my families at the beginning of the year with something kind about their student it made all future interactions easier. Once they know you value their child and are on their side they are more likely to be open to future communication about growth or a problem that happened at school.

2. Create a newsletter that is sent out weekly, monthly, or however often you're comfortable!

Sending out a newsletter really brought parents in the loop and gave them a sense of security with your teaching. I would always include what we were learning in all the subjects, any major projects, and any work that they should know about for home. I always included an "Ask Me About..." where I gave parents some conversation starters about what we were doing in class. Parents really appreciated the insight into our classroom! I also always included photos from the week (if I had any) and tried to highlight different students each time!

3. Utilize your translators!

Communicating with my Spanish speaking families was always something that was challenging for me and weighed on me. I often forewent sending positive notes or phone calls and would only be communicating with these parents about academics or behavior problems. It felt icky to say the least. After I realized I was doing this I made a conscious effort to utilize our school translators. When they weren't available or I needed something done ASAP then I would use Google Translate. The trick is to type your message, translate it, copy the translated work, and translate it back to English. This will allow you to see where there are errors in the translation. Having a basic knowledge of the language is helpful at this point so you can correct the areas that didn't translate correctly. I figure that a little bit of error in grammar or word choice is better than no communication at all!

**I highly recommend taking a language course! I've taken 6 semesters of Spanish and it has helped me tremendously in parent communication. If you are able to go in for a class it is even better, but if not, I know that there are some online language course offers some incredible opportunities to learn online!

4. Create a Google Forms that automatically sends emails to easily send out progress reports, caught you being goods, and any other communication!

Nothing is better to a teacher than saving time; we have so much on our plates that having a resource that does the work for us is life changing! This strategy does require a little bit of set up, but once it is done you will not be sorry. Click here to receive my free PDF of how to set up a Google Forms that automatically sends emails! You can also utilize my pre-made Google Forms/Google Slides template from my TPT page.

5. Track your communication!

Tracking my communication with parents was a game changer for me! All I did was have a list of my students and two sections for tracking both positive and need for growth communications. When I sent an email, spoke with them in person, or gave them a phone call I would tally that on my list. What I noticed is that some students were receiving a lot more input than others and I was able to adjust my communication and make sure all students were receiving positive communication with their families. What I found is that my students who listened in class, completed their work, and followed the rules were the ones receiving the least amount of communication because I didn't have to think or worry about them! Creating this simple list allowed me to give those students the appreciation they deserved and I know that they and their parents really appreciated it as well.

I hope that these parent communication hacks help you increase and provide more meaningful feedback to the parents in your classroom!