Parent Panel

I found the parent panel in class to be very interesting and insightful. It occurred to me in class that I had never really thought about parents and meeting with them in my teaching career. I've always been focused on students and thinking of ways to reach them all in lesson plans. There was a lot of things that the parents said that I found helpful. I like how they said that phone calls are usually the best way of reaching them. One of my biggest take aways is that I shouldn't just call when issues arise. Making positive phone calls about their children is always pleasant and can also establish a positive relationship with students. It says to the student, I’m here for you, and I notice your weaknesses as well as your strengths. It also establishes a better connection with the parent to the student’s school life.

However, I did have some questions after the panel. The parents seemed very interested and willing to know about their children in school, a few of them said that if we see a change in their behavior we should notify them right away. Personally, I don’t feel as though that is always a good idea. We as teachers should find a balance between looking out for our students and overly watching them. Maybe we don’t know the student well enough to make such a quick call. Or maybe calling home isn’t always such a good idea. What if we report a change in the students’ behavior to their parents and that only makes the issue worse. As teachers if we don’t meet the parents or have had a conversation with the student about their home life, then we have no way of knowing if the child has a safe home life. Our classrooms should be a safe space for our students, and we as teachers must find a balance between reporting to parents and being there for students who may need to keep their minor issues to themselves.

Being that role of a teacher has always been one full of layers of grey areas. All I can really say is I will be a teacher who will strive to make both good and bad calls, but will strive to have a good enough relationship where students will feel safe in confiding in me if they need an adult to talk to and cannot go to their parents/ guardians.