Standard 7.3 Engage with the parents/carers

Proficient: Establish and maintain respectful collaborative relationships with parents/carers regarding their children’s learning and well-being.

For the past 4 years I have had a piano teaching business which has bought me in contact with many parents/carers. Through this I have learnt the importance of building a relationship with my students' parents/carers about their learning and well-being. I endeavour to give them frequent feedback on our lessons and ask that they contact me with any suggestions or comments they might have. This practice has proved incredibly useful now  as a classroom teacher and I hope to carry this philosophy throughout my career. Below are two examples of communication I have had with parents - the first, an email to a parent about a student's progress, and the second, a note received from a parent giving feedback on my teaching. These two examples demonstrate a proficiency in this standard. 

Example 1:

As a piano teacher, currently of 38 students, it is paramount that I keep in touch with parents/carers of their child's progress. Below is an example of an email I sent to one parent whose daughter hadn't been practicing for a week which was beginning to stall her progress. In response to the email, we started her daughter on a different series of books (contemporary music) and her Mum started a practice chart at home. As a result, the student began to really engage with her learning and enjoyed our lessons even more.

On 26/08/2013, at 12:30 PM, "Amy Williams" < email address > wrote:

 Hi Veronica,

Just a quick email about Sophie. 

Sophie seems to be struggling to remember to practice lately and unfortunately it is starting to affect her progress. She suggested that it would be good if you could remind her to practice. Do you mind doing this? Also, can you think of any other things that might help to encourage more practice? 

Thanks,
Amy

Example 2

In addition to endeavoring to maintain contact with the parents and carers of my students, I always encourage the parents/carers of my students to give me feedback on my teaching and to frequently communicate with me regarding their child's learning and well-being. On my last University placement I received a note of thanks in the school diary from the parent of a boy in my Year 8 SOSE class which reads as follows:

Dear Mr. Meegan,

I would like to commend the student teacher Ms Williams on a thorough teaching of the subject Antarctica to the students. Ben's learning has been extremely detailed and thorough. This is clearly due to the fact that he has enjoyed the way it was taught. Congratulations, this career is well suited to her. 

Thank you,
Ms Scholby (please pass on to Ms Williams)