Out of My Box

Calling parents of students has never been my forte. I, in fact, dread it. I think it's been on my self-improvement goal list every year since I've been teaching. Today I had to call home for a third tardy. It was the first phone call of the year, but it wasn't a big deal. I know the family, and it was an easy conversation. Then for kicks, I did something I have rarely (if ever... I can't recall right now) done before. I went through my roster and made 2 other phone calls home, but for positive reasons.

Phone call #1 was about a cool project a student had done today. The mom was glad to hear from me, and it turns out she had a question about an assignment anyway, so it was a very productive phone call.

Phone call #2 taught me a lesson. Don't ask for the parents before introducing myself. The dad thought I was a telemarketer and told me that he and his wife weren't home. I asked to leave a message, and as I was introducing myself, he introduced himself back! :) His child had shown a lot of kindness to my new-to-FMS students today who were having some challenges logging on to Google Docs to type their essays. This student volunteered to help while I was answering other questions, and I really appreciated it. The dad seemed really pleased that I called, once he found out I wasn't trying to sell him something. Ha!

I need to do more of that. I feel good, and I think the parents feel good too. Maybe I'll go out of my box a little more often this year.