Check out our list of tips for working with parents and the community.
Interaction is one of the most important responsibilities of an educator. You’re responsible for not only communicating with your learners but also with the administration, community, and parents. Constant communication is crucial to a successful career in education.
Attend funerals or visitations of any learner’s family member if possible. If you cannot attend, send a sympathy card to express your condolences.
Remain creative and innovative. Ask a group of educators to help develop a parent’s university to help parents understand how to assist their kids with homework and other issues. Invite guest speakers to talk about related issues. Collaborate with community agencies and other education programs in the community.
Privacy is important in every aspect of your work. Don’t gossip about your learners or their families outside of school or with other learners and their families. Refrain from gossiping or tattling about coworkers as well.
Sign up to vote where you live so you can vote in school elections and for education funding that will impact your work.
If you are a band educator, you have the opportunity to invite parents and community members to form an alumni or community band to perform at school events. They can perform with your learners or alone. Do this to demonstrate to your learners that playing a musical instrument can be a life skill and to understand the talents of your community.
If you are the tech director, help your learners plan a tech course for adults in the community. It will sharpen the learner’s skills to teach these skills to someone else, as well as keep community members and parents aware of everchanging technology in the schools.
Call your local media when your learners are working on projects, planning extraordinary events, or practicing for a performance. They will need advance notification of your request to plan for the readiness of a reporter and photographer. Give a summary of the event so there is no confusion about the purpose of the activity at the school. Media coverage is strong, and you do not want to neglect details when requesting free coverage.
Find out opportunities for learners to present and articulate their talents. Contests such as mock trials, science fairs, health fairs, math counts, invention conventions, and history day are a few events that require structure for learners to learn how to present what they have learned. There is a local, state, and national contests. Arrangements for the competitions are often after school, and parents or community volunteers may serve as the coaches with the guidance of educators or administration.
Send out valentines from the school’s vocal music department to businesses in the community that support the school. Three or four small groups of vocalists could be willing to participate in this project during study hall or music class period. Remain sure to follow the school field trip policies when taking the students off-campus. Learners must have signed permission slips.
Recognize people and organizations that help you teach your learners. Learners can present them with a certificate of appreciation or recognition.
Ask learners to send thank-you notes to people and organizations in the community that support the school and its activities. This potent form of communication can have lasting effects and encourage goodwill. Students can also get practical writing experience.
