In my school, teachers have "parent contact logs" and these are monitored regularly. For classroom teachers, it's not as daunting of a task (they have a certain number of contacts required for each student in their class during each grading period). For those of us teaching in "special areas" it's a little bit overwhelming due to the number of students we service. It was decided a few years ago by a previous principal that we needed to have 50 parent contacts for every grading period. In my school district, this means I must have 50 contacts every six weeks...or...300 contacts per year! Currently the focus is on "positive contacts" versus calls about behavior, missing work, truancy, etc. I have always preferred the positive to the negative when writing or talking to a parent. Nothing makes a parent's day more than hearing, "You child did ____ in my class today and I thought it was great!"
Yes, there are times of year when the duty of contacting parents is easily fulfilled - like the beginning of the year when I send notes home about purchasing a recorder. One goes to every fourth grade student - BAM! 130 contacts in one fell swoop! Notes go home when performances are nearing, etc. But what to do during the rest of the year? With full color process printing becoming ever more affordable, I decided to get a handle on this whole parent contact thing once and for all.
I designed this "postcard" that I can quickly fill out and send home with a student. My main mistake: I had them done on full glossy print. Newsflash: almost NOTHING writes on this gloss (no, not even a Sharpie marker). I did a little research and discovered the "Slick Writers" from American Crafts. These wonderful little pens will write on ANYTHING! So...there are times throughout the grading period when I focus on getting these sent out. While we are singing, playing instruments, or just working on a concept, I keep my eyes peeled for those that are really doing well. I whip out my Slick Writer and jot down the name and a brief description of what they did and the date on this...
My students are generally THRILLED to get one AND I just made a parent contact - and a positive contact to boot! The ones I had printed actually have my signature printed on them so I don't even have to sign them...(I didn't want the evil doers of the internet signing my name to all sorts of documents so I redid the design for this post).
I paid a very talented Canadian artist to create the caricature you see of me a few years back. Included in her incredibly low price she was willing to provide me with several versions (including the one you see as my "picture" for this blog). If you want one for yourself or a gift for another person, here is her website: http://www.leighyoung.com or perhaps find a local artist in your area. All I needed to do was email her pictures of my face (front and each side). There was minimal "back and forth" until we reached the final product and she was able to be paid via PayPal. Believe me - it was money well-spent! I have used these caricatures for SO many things. She even gives you full rights to use them at will. Of course, you could always just use a photograph or any clip art, but as elementary people, we know what our kids like ("Mr. Sands! You're in a cartoon!"). If you decide to contact Leigh Young, mention my name...it will probably have absolutely no effect whatsoever, but feel free to mention it anyway.
The cost? $30 for 250 of these (plus $7.99 shipping). Yes, for about 15 cents I can make someone's day. Worth it in my book!
Happy contacting! Until next time...
