83. Building Close Connections With Parents, Even from a Distance: Rethinking Back To School Night
In some ways, our sudden foray into remote instruction has forced us to re-examine the ways in which things have always been done in education, allowing motivated teachers the space to reinvent practices that had become standard but that could be improved with the technology now at our disposal. Perhaps more than any other single aspect of education, virtual learning necessitates a close connection with parents who are instrumental in the educational process but who can be difficult to cultivate relationships with when we don’t see them in the course of everyday interactions or due to a pandemic and social distancing, we may never actually meet them in person. Back To School Night provides teachers with the opportunity to meet the parents and guardians and begin to develop that rapport, but when the school building may not be open or may not be for visitors, how can we communicate the right tone and information and lay the groundwork for that great communication. We first discussed Back To School night way back in our second ever episode of the EDverything Podcast, but 2020 has us revisiting this topic—and the spin we are putting on back to school night has us excited to implement these tactics, even after the new normal is long behind us. In this episode, you’ll hear why recording a video intro as using a tool like Loom is something that will be making Back To School Night a better experience for everyone involved—and what to feature if you are eager to do the same! In this episode, you’ll hear: -How recording a video can save you from some of the most common Back To School Night interruptions -Why it will save you time (and be far more environmentally-friendly than your typical Back To School Night) -How it signals your understanding of parents needs and schedules -Why it can be great for making sure that the supplies you need are the ones that actually get purchased -Gives parents a better idea of what your actual (sometimes virtual or flipped) classroom might look like -Why this can help you stand out while simultaneously taking away some of the nerves and stress typically associated with BTSN -What to cover in a virtual BTSN intro video, from the traditional topics to those that make a great addition for people who can’t come to your classroom in person