Scenarios

Reflect on the scenarios.

Think about how you would incorporate the scenarios into your practice.

Practice Scenario 1

A parent calls and emails several times a week asking for information about upcoming school events. Another student’s guardian calls probing for information about other students because she thinks there are tense interpersonal situations taking place between her child and others in your class. Yesterday, you replied to a family’s request for field trip dates and costs for the year. While you were teaching science today, another family calls with questions about school supplies.

Describe how and when you could proactively provide information that would reduce the need for individual parents to contact you. Where applicable, describe when a family concern should be handled by another staff member (such as the school psychologist or principal).

Practice Scenario 2

As a teaching professional, you recognize the need to partner with families to improve learning. You are attending evening school activities and very few families from your class are attending. You’ve also noticed that five families have not yet scheduled their mandatory meetings for this year and are not responding to the notes you’ve sent home.

What communication strategies can you use to ensure you are reaching all families and engaging in the instructional program?

Practice Scenario 3

You recently sent a note to the family of your student Lucy, asking them to come in for a meeting. When you meet, you express concerns that Lucy may have a learning disability and ask them to fill out a psychological assessment. You can see that the family looks stunned. You assure them that the results of the assessment will be back in a few weeks and, using that information, you and the family can collaborate on a plan to help Lucy. You think it went well, but are surprised to hear that they went straight to the principal after meeting with you. The principal reports that the family now seems distrustful, angry, nervous, and stressed.

  • Reflecting on the meeting with Lucy’s family, what do you think you could do differently to help a similar meeting go better next time?
  • For Lucy’s family, what can you do now to repair the relationship?
  • How will you plan the follow up meeting with Lucy’s family to ensure a more positive outcome?

Practice Scenario 4

You’ve sent out a variety of communication notices to let families know about an upcoming field trip. It’s required that all students have a permission slip signed by their parent or guardian in order to participate. Despite the emails, flyers, updates to the school website, and handwritten notes home, you notice that many families have not returned the signed permission slip.

  • What other communication methods could you use to reach these families?
  • Why might those methods work when the others haven’t?

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