This site is a class blog space for new Career and Technical Specializations and Heathcare Science teachers enrolled in the New Teacher Institute (NTI) at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Parent Contact
I will admit this is the part of my job that I really HATE! Of course no one wants to have to hear something negative about their child from a teacher. We have guidelines at my school on how to contact parents. We are supposed to document when, how and what was said during the contact. I have a student that does not want to do her classwork. As a result she is failing. She really is one of my better behaved students and seems to like my class. I have tried contacting the parents but cannot understand them as they are from Bosnia and do not speak much english. I have emailed them and written them notes but have not had much success with support from them. Any one have any ideas on how to handle a situation like this? I have her on a course success plan and speak to her several times a week about her progress.
One of the things that I found very helpful with students from other countries is to have them buddy with another student in the class that they get along with. This arrangement seems to increase the student's participation in class as well as improve their social skills. It appears to help the student transition from being a spectator to feeling more a part of the class which increases their sense of belonging and acceptance.
ReplyDeleteDo you have a support team at your school for international students? If you do it may be helpful to contact them and get their input regarding this particular situation. Sounds like you have already put some good things in place to address the situation. Let me know how it goes.