How do you manage difficult parents that seem to blame teachers for their child's behavior and absences?

In lieu of Night of the Notables, which has historically focused too much on white men and has raised concerns about cultural appropriation, we hosted a TEDx Event to give students the opportunity to take on the role of changemakers—a major focus of our civil rights unit. This event allowed them to share their own ideas, passions, and leadership, amplifying diverse voices and meaningful, authentic storytelling.

It was truly inspiring to see these young voices confidently express their unique perspectives and innovations with the world. Rather than looking only to the past, this event empowered students to shape the future. Do other schools also host TEDx Talks? I'd love to see them!

As we continue to build relationships with the parents, here is an example of an email I sent to everyone because, well, I made a mistake.

Good Tuesday afternoon everyone-

Remember that time you thought it was a Tuesday because the teacher said it was a Tuesday and you were expecting a Tuesday folder to come home on Tuesday because Tuesday is when the Tuesday folder comes home?

Well, the teacher knew it was a Tuesday and did not send the Tuesday folder home on Tuesday because there was a FAST test on Tuesday and the teacher who even sent an email home saying it was a Tuesday in the subject now has to apologize on a Tuesday for not sending the Tuesday folder home today which is a Tuesday because he forgot it was a Tuesday.

Tuesday word count: 18

Being able to joke during your mistakes helps ease the tension with the parents. It also opens up a closeness when there is effort to be vulnerable with your mistakes. In the grand scheme of things, it is not that big of a deal but it brings people together.

What are some strategies for helping students catch up after they’ve missed several days of school?

Next week we are planning an hour with our families for our first and second grade students. We are part of the Leader in Me program and we have invited families to come in and view our Classroom Mission Statements and then create Family Mission Statements! We have set up social media picture spots in the building for families to pose by/at. What hashtag do you think would be fun to use? We are the Lemmer Leopards ;).

Do you send home a weekly newsletter? What do you include in it?

Have you found any good strategies that keep your absenteeism rates lower?

We introduced a school wide award that is awarded to the classroom in each grade level with the highest attendance rate each month. When our individual classes have attendance above 95% on a daily basis, we get a postcard with our mascot on it to display outside our classroom door (with the date earned). When our classroom earns 10 of them, we get a visit from the Woot-Woot wagon and each student gets to pick a treat!

What are some do’s and don’ts for emailing parents, colleagues, and administrators?

We had a late Reading Month celebration due to snow and ice storms followed by spring break. Last night we met with families and shared all kinds of fun reading and math alternatives to common board games. Here is the Google file with a few of the FILE FOLDER games we shared! Feel free to share them, print them etc!

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vw2EFbC-XW6n4pbOkDU5WyU0Uvu4SCWC?usp=sharing

How did you celebrate reading month with families this year?

How do you manage difficult parents that seem to blame teachers for their child's behavior and absences?

Big win for the Thanksgiving celebration! All the families were represented and we had a great time! I highly recommend these events!

How can we reassure parents that struggling with reading is not a reflection of their child's potential, but rather a natural part of the learning process?

This year our school is using the theme - board games for reading month. We all design and create board games on our classroom doors. We make them interactive so that students and families can enjoy them!
My door is based on the game Mad Gab - and I used the sentences from UFLI to create this fun activity!

This year my class is having a "family luncheon". The parents have volunteered to bring the food and we will share in a time of thanksgiving. During the time, I have the students and parents write on a little note care what they are thankful for. I take those notes and type them into a document and send it to the parents. This is a great way to get parents support and build community. What are some other ideas that you have used to build community?