Why I Email Parents Everyday

In the past, I have shared other posts about parent communication (see: 5 Things to Remember when Talking to Parents and Using Social Media for Parent Communication.  To have a successful special education classroom or any classroom for that matter.

Having a positive relationship with parents is so important.  So I am going to tell you why I email parents EVERY DAY!

That’s too much!

I know, it sounds crazy to email parents every day, but it is a simple email every afternoon.  I send home a mass email with all of the need to know information.

Every day, I send home an email with that day’s homework and any other valuable information.  For example, I include tests, quizzes, projects, or if there is a critical permission slip that I think my kids will forget.

You spend way too much time on this!

My students take five core classes and a special.  I co-teach three of these classes, and my paraprofessional is in the other two.  Between her and I, we write down the homework throughout the day.

Throughout the day I add the homework into a Google doc that I can access from any computer or my phone.  At the end of the day, I copy the information and paste it into an email.  In the BCC line, I add the group I made at the beginning of the year with all of my parents in it.

It takes only a few minutes out of my day, and the parents find it to be a great help.

Your kids are too old for that level of support; you’re babying them!

I get this a lot.  But, I make it clear that all students are still expected to write down their homework in their agendas.  And, if on the off chance I forget something, or I am out sick, that is not an excuse to not have your homework.  Believe me; the kids have tried to use it!

I make it clear that the purpose of my emails is as an emergency back up plan.  Also, for parents to help hold their students accountable.  So often, before I did this, I would have parents tell me that they struggled with checking whether or not their child did their homework because the students would lie about the homework.  Now, I have so many parents who get my email, print it at work, and then come home and compare it to what their child wrote down and what they completed.   It is not intended to be the primary source of homework info, but just an aid.

It ends up becoming support for general education students also.  My school psychologist (guidance counselor & adjustment counselor extraordinaire!) occasionally asks me to put another parent on my list.  Which is super easy, and is helping us provide basic level supports to assist general education students who need a little assistance ensuring their homework is getting done.  And those parents can get the same assistance that my students’ parents are.

Seriously, it’s super easy

I have been doing this for almost three full school years. Truly, I find that it helps with the completion rate of my students’ homework.  I am not saying that it’s the best route for every special education teacher, but I find that it really works wonders for supporting my parents to help them support their children.  It also leaves an open line of communication with parents, and they feel super comfortable emailing me throughout the week with simple homework questions that I don’t mind answering.

Also, Check Out:

Tips for a Successful IEP Meeting

Pre-Reading Strategies for Middle School

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