Often we view cellphones through the lens of their negative impact on our classrooms and society in general but their potential power to transform is immense. Today I want to talk about the power of a simple phone call home.
Every year I call home. I call all the homes of the kids I have in my classroom that year. It’s a bit awkward and clunky but I do it anyway. That first contact home via phone needs to be a positive one. So after a day or two I begin the calls, only a few a night. And the response is fairly universal, surprise and joy. This year I have a lot of single dads who are parenting kids in my class so that was unique. Each call was similar in that just hearing the words, “I’m so and so’s teacher,” brought hesitation on the other end of the phone. But when they heard that their child was happy, trying hard, and doing well I could almost hear the sigh of relief. Almost every parent thanked me, repeatedly. One parent started to cry. Seriously. She said that when she heard my voice she wondered what her son did now. When I told her he had a good week and was trying hard she started to sob. She told me that was the first positive phone call she had ever gotten from a teacher, and the kid is in fifth grade. I now have fifteen parents who have heard from me that I like their kid. That’s power. Power to move forward and have the difficult conversations should the need for them arise.
It’s not too late. Start calling your parents. It literally takes two minutes per phone call. It will be the best investment of your time in developing positive parent relationships.
Have a great year,
Mary
The Simple Things 