There are many ways teachers contact their students and each holds different considerations. Below are a few scenarios and suggestions to support professional communication.
When calling parents and students by phone
- use the school phone when possible
- call during school hours
- ensure parents are aware you are speaking with their child
- if using your cell or calling from home, you may wish to consider blocking your caller ID (#31# –> then dial your number)
When emailing parents and students
As a TC and, therefore, a temporary member of the school community:
- use district email address if possible
- consider creating a new professional email address that you will use only for practicum (and then consider deleting it at the end of practicum)
Additional notes about communication
- be very cautious about any social media communication – it is advisable to not ‘friend’ parents or students on social media due to potential conflicts and private messaging with families via social channels is generally not recommended.
- use in-school/district options when meeting or sharing files with families (or even colleagues) whenever possible (MS Teams, Google Classroom, other)
- if you are communicating as a teacher or teacher candidate (responding to job interviews, communicating with district leadership, communicating with educators, etc), be sure your email name and signature reflect your emerging professionalism. The one you used through college may no longer be appropriate…
- Below are some slides to help you think a bit more about your digital communications. You may also wish to visit UBC’s Digital Tattoo Project website for more information and some tips about social media use.
Email Sort Activity – expanded
