The Power of 3: Welcoming Families

First “Touch”

This is completely non-threatening even to the biggest introverts. This is a syllabus, newsletter, class blog or letter of introduction. This touch at the beginning of the year is great, but it may get lost in the shuffle of other papers that are shoved into kiddos’ backpacks. According to APM Research Lab—an organization that researches, curates, and shares statistics and analysis, often to journalists and business leaders— in 2022, “About 130 million adults in the U.S.—half of Americans between the ages of 16 and 74—have low literacy skills according to aGallup analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Education.” While this is disturbing in its own right, we must consider how we make the first “touch,” in a way that is non-threatening, generally written at a sixth- to eighth-grade reading level, and doesn’t intimidate. Avoid big chunks of text. Instead, use bullets or an infographic to convey your basic information.

Second “Touch”       

The second touch is more personalized. Every year, I make sure I send an email (to both the first and second contact) specifically about their child. I carry around a clipboard with notecards during the first days of school activities, making sure I create a notecard for every child with something I noticed, an attribute, or simply something nice. For example, “I have already figured out that Peyton is an awesome kiddo. Every day when she leaves class, she turns around and says thank you to me. It makes my day,” Or “Kevin is a great kiddo—I can tell already—I saw him help a classmate who dropped his stuff. He wasn’t showy. He was just nice.” If you are looking for it, every child will have a quality or trait or behavior that is positive. I’ve also written, “John is not a fan of ELA, but I am sure you know that. However, I am making it my job to change his mind!”The emails don’t need to be long or even very specific. But, as a parent, there is nothing better than knowing that your child’s teacher sees them and likes them. I personally don’t like to call parents, especially since we’ve gone the way of texting. Phone calls from school generally aren’t good, and I can’t reach both parents at the same time. 

Third “Touch”

Most often, by the time we have the family information night, I have a pretty good idea who my kiddos are as people. This third touch is predictable, very much in my control, and my room is a novelty because I have flexible seating. (You can see the video on my website.) Most of the conversations are families guessing which seating option their child has chosen and what they themselves might choose. It might not seem important, but the casual, more personal third touch sets the stage for future interactions. 

Do I have families or caregivers who don’t like me? Occasionally, but I practice an “authority of care.” This means that I lead with the best possible interest of the child in mind, even if there is resistance; and I have found that no matter how far apart I am from a particular family or their beliefs, if I have practiced an authority of care—a radical confidence in every child’s ability to be successful—then we can agree on one thing: Their kiddo is important, and there is a way. You can read more about the authority of care here or this Share My Lesson blog, “Make It Awkward: Connecting with Students and Finding Joy.” There are also a couple of collections that can help veteran and new teachers alike. Check out “Back to School: First Day of School and Beyond,” and for the new teachers, “New Teacher Collection: Free Lesson Plans and Resources for Back to School.” 

I’d love to hear your tips and tricks to work with families and to connect with them. Follow me on Share My Lesson, Instagram or X (formerly Twitter). You can check out my books here.