Teacher’s Perspective: Why I Call All of My Students’ Parents and Guardians

27Jul
by Daniela Felix

I recently spent two hours making individual phone calls to the families of my summer school students. The person on the other end of the line could have been a mom, dad, sister, or grandparent, but each all had one thing in common: my student was their child. Every day this summer, their most valued treasure was sitting in my English class.

To have 30 treasures in my class is a great responsibility, one that I take with the utmost importance. The purpose of the call was to communicate the progress our students made throughout the summer, and I expected to spend between one to two minutes per call. However, as the conversations went on, I began to learn more and more about my student and the lives they lived at home. On the other line, I heard family dogs barking, little siblings running around and yelling, and the sound of the train as I spoke to a working mother.

Although students share a lot with me as their teacher, there is nothing like hearing a parent or guardian share their hopes, fears and dreams for that same student who comes into my class every single day. Conversations varied from writing scores to how to deal with the anxiety of going through a custody battle. My students are not blank canvasses. Every single day they walk into my classroom with talents, hardships, and curiosity.

During my calls, many parents shared that this was the first time a teacher had called them for something other than behavior issues. If we want to truly build relationships centered around students, we need to ensure that the communication exists with both celebrations and areas of growth. Edutopia’s “20 Tips for Developing Positive Relationships With Parents” stresses the importance of parent involvement and communicating successes. Positive phone calls home can be a game changer in establishing strong relationships with families — all of which work to support the student in the classroom and at home.

To have a parent share with me that my call “made their day” reinforces the importance of  communication between teachers and parents. Parents, guardians, and I, as a teacher, need to work together to set students up for success. The true definition of being student-centered is opening up the lines of communication between all stakeholders and ensuring that the student is in an environment that sets him/her up for excellence.

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Daniela Felix

Daniela is a first generation college student who is heavily involved in education in her home district, West Contra Costa Unified. After becoming a mother at a young age, Daniela’s passion for education justice only intensified and she began to fight for an equitable education for all children, regardless of background or zip code. Daniela played a key role in organizing parents with the California Charter Schools Association and is a firm believer in school choice for all families. She is currently a Lead Organizer with Students for Education Reform, organizing college students around education justice issues in her home district. She was recently accepted into Teach for America and plans to continue impacting the lives of children in her hometown of Richmond, CA as a high school social studies teacher. Daniela is a UC Berkeley senior pursuing her B.A. in Legal Studies and Education along with her 4 year old daughter and husband. Daniela is a firm believer in that every single child is capable of meeting high expectations if given the correct support. Daniela hopes to be a provider of that support.

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