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Adolescence

How to Help a Teen Out of a Homework Hole

The more students fall behind in the pandemic, the less likely they are to feel that they can catch up.

By Lisa Damour

Pandemic school is taking its toll on students, especially teens. A recent study , conducted by NBC News and Challenge Success, a nonprofit affiliated with the Stanford Graduate School of Education, found that 50 percent more kids in high school report feeling disengaged from school this year than last. In December, Education Week reported that schools were seeing “ dramatic increases in the number of failing or near-failing grades ” on report cards.

A major symptom of school disengagement is not turning in homework, a problem that can easily snowball. The further students fall behind, the more overwhelmed they often become and the less likely they are to feel that they can catch up .

The good news is that finding out about missing homework is a first step to helping kids get back on track. You just need to keep a few considerations in mind.

Empathy will get you further than anger

At this point in the pandemic, finding out that your child has let schoolwork slide may trigger an angry response. Everyone is worn down by the demands of pandemic life and many parents are already operating on their last nerve . Getting mad, however, is likely to cause kids to adopt a defensive or minimizing stance. Instead, try to be compassionate. What students who have fallen behind need most are problem-solving partners who want to understand what they are going through.

If you’re having trouble summoning your empathy, bear in mind that there are many good reasons a student could fall off pace this year. For instance, Ned Johnson, a professional tutor and co-author of the book “The Self-Driven Child,” noted that most teens have very little experience managing email, which is now a main source of information for those in remote or hybrid arrangements. “We know how overwhelmed we as adults are by email. Imagine not being comfortable with it, and then suddenly getting everything — from Zoom links to assignments — that way.”

Some students learning remotely may also have unreliable broadband service; others may miss key information because their attention is split between the teacher on the screen and distractions at home.

“Many adults are having the exact same issues,” said Ellen Braaten, a psychologist and the executive director of the Learning and Emotional Assessment Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. “They are really productive when they can physically be at work, but may find themselves less attentive in the unstructured environment of working from home.”

Even teens who are attending school in person and using familiar systems for tracking assignments may be having a hard time managing their work now. The mental skills that help us stay organized — commonly called executive functioning — are being undermined by psychological stress, which is unusually high among today’s teens.

Work together to diagnose the problem

Finding out that your child is in academic trouble can tempt you to jump to solutions. It’s best, however, to properly diagnose the problem before trying to address it. Liz Katz, assistant head for school partnership at One Schoolhouse, an online supplemental school, suggested looking into the reasons students fall behind at school. Some don’t know what they’re supposed to be doing, others know and aren’t doing it, and still others “are doing their best and just can’t meet expectations.”

As you talk with a teenager about where things have gone off the rails, be kind, curious and collaborative. “This isn’t about you being in trouble or getting off the hook,” you might say. “It’s simply about figuring out what’s going wrong so we can solve the right problem.”

Students who are struggling to keep track of what’s expected of them may need to reach out to their teachers, either for clarification about specific assignments or for general guidance on where and when they should be looking for information about homework. As a parent or caregiver, you can coach them on how to approach their instructors. Start by pointing out that teachers are almost always eager to lend support to students who seek it. You can also offer to give feedback on a draft email to an instructor explaining where the student got lost and what they have already tried.

“For many students, the ability to ask for help is not fully formed,” said Ms. Katz, “or it can feel like an admission that they’ve done something wrong. Normalizing and praising self-advocacy is so important.”

For students who know what they’re supposed to do but aren’t doing it, other approaches make sense. They may be having a hard time sustaining motivation and need support on that front , or they may be swamped with commitments, such as caring for younger siblings, that make it impossible to complete their schoolwork. Here, parents and students will want to work together to make a realistic plan for addressing the biggest priorities in light of these circumstances. This might mean coming to an agreement about where the teen’s energies should be directed or exploring what additional support might be put in place.

In some cases, academic problems may be linked to issues with mental health. If there’s a question of whether a student is suffering from depression or anxiety; using drugs; or exhibiting any other significant emotional or behavioral concern, check in with the school counselor or family doctor for a proper assessment. Treatment should always take precedence over schoolwork. “If you’re depressed,” Dr. Braaten said, “no amount of executive function coaching is going to help, because that’s not the issue.”

Some students have subtle learning or attention disorders that became an issue only when school went online. Under regular conditions, said Mr. Johnson, instructors can notice when a student is tuning out and bring back his or her attention in a gentle way. Unfortunately, “Teachers really can’t do that effectively on Zoom.” If this is a concern, parents should consider checking in with teachers or their school’s learning support staff to get their read on the problem and advice for how to move forward.

Step back to see the big picture

“We all need to be easier on ourselves,” Dr. Braaten said, “and to sort through what students really need to do and what they don’t.” Well-meaning parents might hope to motivate students by emphasizing the importance of high grades, but that can make it harder for kids to recover from a substantial setback.

As students start to work their way back, give some thought to how comprehensive their turnaround needs to be. Do they really need to get equally high grades in every class? Could they instead direct their energy toward getting square with the courses they care about most? Could they work with their teachers to agree upon trimmed-down assignments for partial credit? According to Mr. Johnson, “Lowering expectations, for now , can actually help kids to get back on track.”

Dr. Braaten also noted that much of what students gain from school is not about content, but about learning how to solve problems. Engaging teens in constructive conversations to figure out how they fell behind can be an important lesson unto itself. “Having a 16-year-old who understands, ‘When I’m stressed, this is how I react,’” says Dr. Braaten, “may put us further ahead in the long run.”

In any school year, students learn a great deal beyond academic content. This year, more than most, might be one where students gain a deep understanding of how they respond when feeling overwhelmed and how to ask for help or rebound from setbacks — lessons that they will draw on long after the pandemic is gone.

Lisa Damour is a psychologist and the author of the New York Times best sellers “Untangled” and “Under Pressure.” Dr. Damour also co-hosts the podcast “Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Parenting.” More about Lisa Damour

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Data confirm the reason teachers should nag parents about missed assignments: it works

Research from around the world shows that parents are often overoptimistic about how their children perform at school. They think they miss less class, complete more assignments, and score better on exams than they do in reality.

Tangentially, multiple experiments have found that one of the best ways to improve a kid’s performance is to badger parents with information about the truth—however annoyed or defensive it might make them. When parents are consistently informed about what’s actually happening at school, research shows their kids’ grades improve dramatically.

A recently published study  by Columbia University economist Peter Bergman is the latest to demonstrate the power of a nagging message. For the study, the parents of hundreds of Los Angeles public school students were sent biweekly updates on missed assignments for a six-month period (including missed homework, essays, exams, etc.). Parents could choose to receive the information by text, email, or phone call—79% chose text. Most of the students were from low income families.

The students of parents who received the updates performed significantly better than those in a control group who were not updated. They were 25% more likely complete assignments, 28% less likely to miss class, and 24% less likely to show “unsatisfactory work habits” according to their teacher (the research does not specify what these habits looked like). This all translated to a significant jump in grade point average (GPA) and math test scores. Reading scores, which are more difficult to boost  because of the reading’s relative complexity compared to math, were not impacted. These kinds of effects for such a small and inexpensive intervention are rare.

World Bank economist David Evans points out  that this study is part of a mounting literature on the benefits of a constant flow of feedback to parents. Another recent study  (pdf) conducted in Chile on 4th through 8th graders found that texting parents weekly with information on attendance, grades, and behavior led to improvements in math scores, and decreased the likelihood of failing any class. A 2014  experiment  (pdf) in Philadelphia showed that when parents were given more frequent information about their child’s school attendance, it led to reductions in future absences.

Why does this work so well? Evans believes it’s because it gives parents a specific way to engage with their kids. It’s long been understood that parental involvement is key to student achievement . All types of kids, rich or poor, are much more likely to thrive academically if their parents support them and stay on their case. But quarterly report cards don’t give parents what they need to properly engage.

“With a report card, it is very difficult to know what it is that I should encourage my child to do to perform better—the information is too aggregated.” Evans told Quartz. “But if I get an email that says my child missed an assignment, the action that I need to take is very clear.”

Parents want to help their kids do better at school. But to be effective at providing that help, up-to-date, accurate information about what’s actually going on can go a long way.

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• Tech Skills

12 Tips For Teachers Communicating With Parents Via Email (With Poster)

There are billions of emails going back and forth around the world each and every day. Email is a favourite form of communication for many people regardless of their location, age, or confidence with technology.

Email is accessible, quick, easy, and familiar. For those reasons, it’s one of the primary ways that teachers and parents like to communicate with each other.

Want to learn about 8 different ways teachers and schools can communicate with parents? Check out this comprehensive post!

Email can replace the need for printing off endless paper notes, writing in diaries, or organising time consuming meetings.

Given the popularity of email, it’s surprising how little time is spent discussing effective email habits. This post shares my top tips with teachers who are communicating with parents via email.

Should I Communicate With Parents Via Email?

Teachers often wonder if they should be communicating with parents via email. Is it allowed? Is it safe? Is it effective?

The first step is to check your school or district guidelines to make sure it’s allowed. Your school might even have its own email policy.

If there are no objections, go ahead! There are lots of benefits to be enjoyed. I recommend you put some thought into your approach to emailing. Hopefully the tips in this post will help!

The Benefits Of Email Communication

Compared to the old paper methods, email allows our correspondence to be:

• more  personalised  (you can share news that relates to the class, a group of students, or an individual student)
• more  instantaneous  (why wait until a paper note is written to hear about a sports report, learning goal, or event information?)
• more  reliable  (no need to worry about lost notes as long as parents are checking their email)
• more  private  (there may be some information you don’t want students reading)
• two way  (parents can reply much more easily using digital communication)

What Email Account Should I Use To Communicate With Parents?

I definitely recommend you use a professional email address rather than a personal email address.

Not only would an address of [email protected] raise eyebrows, but you need to protect your privacy.

You probably already have a work email address, or you can set up a new Google account if you need to (e.g. [email protected] )

💡 Tip : Toggling between two Google accounts in Chrome is easy . You just need to click on your profile image or initials in the top right hand corner of your screen (when you’re in Gmail or other Google applications). A menu will appear and you click on the account you want to use.

Consider an email service provider

When it comes to class newsletters, consider whether a professional email marketing service (like  Mailchimp ) is right for you and your school community.

The benefits of using a tool like Mailchimp for class newsletters include:

• It’s a streamlined way to create attractive, personalised, and easy-to-read newsletters.
• Managing your subscriber lists is easy. You can send emails to your whole list or a select audience. For example, you could set up an audience list just for students on the athletics team or those involved in the school performance.
• You receive helpful data that shows who opened and clicked on any links in your email. If parents aren’t opening your emails you can ask if they’re receiving them or if there’s a better email address you can use.
• Emails can still appear personal. You can use “merge tags” to insert names automatically in an email (don’t worry, it’s very easy to do!).
• Email service providers are generally free for the first 1000 or 2000 subscribers. Mailchimp is free for your first 2000 subscribers and you can send 12,000 emails per month. Hopefully you don’t have that many students! 🙂

Of course, check with your school or district if you’re allowed to use an email service provider before giving it a go.

Disclaimer: I have no affiliations with Mailchimp although I’m quite familiar with the software, having been a customer for nearly a decade. I’ve also recently started using Mailerlite and am finding it to be an excellent product too. 

12 Tips For Communicating With Parents Via Email: Summary Poster

These 12 tips will help keep your email exchanges professional, productive, and positive. Scroll down for a summary poster. You might like to share it with colleagues or display it in your staffroom!

1) Establish guidelines

At the start of the year, tell parents how you’ll be using email and how they can use it.

Explain how long parents may need to wait to receive a response to their email (e.g. “I check my emails on school days and will reply within 24/48 hours”).

If you need time to gather information or come up with a response, send a quick email to let the parent know when you’ll get back to them with a more detailed response.

Let parents know how to contact you for urgent issues (e.g. phone).

Some schools have schoolwide guidelines in place. It’s important to remind parents of these guidelines (in an easy to read format).

2) Don’t get into the habit of replying instantly

Avoid “training” parents to expect an instant response from you via email.

Some professionals find it helpful to “batch” the times they check and reply to emails rather than dealing with them all day.

3) Use a professional email address

Avoid handing out your personal email. Make sure the signature of your work email is short and professional.

4) Make your email easy to read

Don’t waffle or make the email longer than it needs to be. Break up text into short paragraphs. Use bold for important words or action items. Use bullet points or lists if appropriate.

5) Customise your subject line

Use a specific subject line that will attract the attention of parents. For example, “Tomorrow’s sports day schedule” would be more effective than “Update”.

6) Keep a record of communication you might need to come back to

Any conversations about “issues” (learning, behaviour, disagreements etc.) should be saved just in case.

7) Use CC and BCC professionally

• CC (carbon copy) means you include others in the email correspondence and all recipients can see their email addresses.
• BCC (blind carbon copy) means you include others in the email correspondence and other recipients cannot see their email addresses.

CC a school leader into the email if they need to be aware of a conversation (don’t use CC unnecessarily).

Always use BCC if you email more than one parent so you keep their email addresses private.

BCC shouldn’t be used to let people “eavesdrop” on conversations. This is poor email etiquette.

8) Avoid unnecessary links and attachments

Try to summarise all the information in the body of your email.

Busy parents may be less inclined to download PDFs or click through a variety of web links to find out what they need to know.

9) Send unexpected positive notes

Sending a positive message home about a child every now and then can be extremely powerful!

10) Be a little more friendly and polite than you need to be

Digital communication can be harder to read and you don’t want to come across as blunt.

It’s also best to avoid things like humour or sarcasm. See more tips for email word choice below.

11) Use a phone call or face-to-face conversation when necessary

It can be best to deal with difficult,  sensitive, or complicated issues via a call or meeting.

Likewise, if the email exchange is going back and forth for too long, consider a phone call or meeting.

12) Think before sending

If you’re feeling emotional or unsure, wait before sending.

Always think whether your words could be misconstrued. Ensure the tone of all emails is calm.

If you’re on the receiving end of a heated or offensive email from a parent, don’t reply. Consult with a school leader.

>> Download a free PDF version of the poster

Canned Email Responses?

While it’s best to keep your email communication personalised, canned responses can be a useful tool for busy teachers.

Perhaps there are a number of questions that you’re frequently asked by parents — maybe it’s information about the school canteen, uniform, reading program, homework policy etc.

You can write out a response addressing these questions and save it. That’s called a canned response.

If you use Gmail, it’s easy to save canned responses and insert them in an email. Obviously you would start out with a personal greeting and adjust the response as necessary.

These instructions explain how to set up a canned response in Gmail.

Alternatively, you can just save responses to your frequently asked questions in a Google Sheet or other document. Then you can copy and paste them into emails as needed.

💡 Tip: Paste the copied text into an email as plain text . It will look a bit odd if the font or style of your pasted information looks different to the rest of your email:

• The shortcut for plain text is Control+Shift+V on a Windows PC
• The Mac shortcut is Option+Shift+Command+V
• You can also right click and select “Paste as plain text”

More Advice About Email And Word Choice

To many readers, this information will be obvious, however, what’s obvious to some is enlightening to others!

Tips for choosing your words and style when writing an email to a parent:

• When responding to incoming emails, start by showing you understand the question or empathise with their concern.
• Keep your emails professional but friendly; you don’t need to be too stiff or formal.
• Use correct spelling, grammar, spacing, and punctuation.
• Avoid using text speak, slang, or abbreviations.
• Don’t overuse emojis or exclamation marks.
• Be a little more friendly and polite than you think you need to be. You don’t want to come across as blunt.
• Always ensure your tone is calm.
• Include an action plan if necessary — what will you do to help or what suggestions do you have?
• Make sure you address the parent by their name in a personal email.
• End on a positive note and invite further communication.

Example email from a teacher to a parent

This simple example email is professional yet friendly, brief but addresses the issue at hand, and hopefully leaves the parent satisfied that their concerns are being addressed.

Conclusion: What Can You Add?

When there are strong lines of communication between home and school, everyone wins! Email is a great way for teachers and parents to communicate.

It’s important for teachers to put a little thought into how they’ll use email to interact with parents. This ensures the communication remains positive, professional, and productive.

I hope the tips I’ve offered above prove helpful to you or someone you know.

5 Replies to “12 Tips For Teachers Communicating With Parents Via Email (With Poster)”

[…] 12 Tips For Teachers Communicating With Parents Via Email […]

Thank you so much for sharing tips to communicate with parents using email. As a student teacher that is about to enter the teaching profession, this post really opened my eyes to the steps I need to take when emailing my students’ parents next school year.

Hi Aubrey, I’m so glad the tips helped. Good luck with the rest of your studies. I’m sure you can’t wait to have your own class. There’s nothing like finally having a class of your own! 🙂

Thank you for sharing these tips. This will help me with my assignments.

Wow! so helpful and will make my teaching so much better!

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Keeping parents informed on missing homework

Discussion in ' Elementary Education ' started by shoreline02 , May 25, 2016 .

shoreline02 Cohort

May 25, 2016

How do you keep parents informed about their child's missing homework? I teach science and have about 70, 4th grade students. I thought about sending home a weekly slip if students were missing anything and parents would have to sign and return the slip. Also, keeping parents informed about their child's behavior. On the same notice perhaps?  

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otterpop Phenom

I do this: Before handing in homework, every student holds theirs up in the air. I can immediately see and make note of who does not have theirs. Then, I send a quick email to all parents (bcc) of those children saying that their student did not turn in their homework. Simple, easy, quick.  

geoteacher Devotee

shoreline02 said: ↑ How do you keep parents informed about their child's missing homework? I teach science and have about 70, 4th grade students. I thought about sending home a weekly slip if students were missing anything and parents would have to sign and return the slip. Also, keeping parents informed about their child's behavior. On the same notice perhaps? Click to expand...

May 26, 2016

Most of our parents don't have an email or computer. Some have phones that connect to the internet, some don't.  

TXforever Companion

May 29, 2016

I bought duplicate missing assignments notes/ forms from Really a Good Stuff. They're kind of expensive, but it's nice to have instant documentation. When the notes are returned signed, I just put them in a file,  

Sarge Enthusiast

="otterpop, post: 1992615, member: 84048"]I do this: Before handing in homework, every student holds theirs up in the air. I can immediately see and make note of who does not have theirs. Then, I send a quick email to all parents (bcc) of those children saying that their student did not turn in their homework. Simple, easy, quick. Click to expand...

Unfortunately, many of my kid's parents do not have email addresses, computers, or access to internet with their phone. I guess a note home will be my only way to go.  

minnie Habitué

May 30, 2016

I would suggest Remind 101. Every parent in America has a cell now  

shoreline02 said: ↑ Unfortunately, many of my kid's parents do not have email addresses, computers, or access to internet with their phone. I guess a note home will be my only way to go. Click to expand...

I might be able to connect electronically with 25/30 of my parents.  

catnfiddle Moderator

Since I know for a fact all of our parents have access to a portal where they can view their kiddos accounts, I simply call the parents of those who are disengaged and ask they log in. Sometimes, when it's been a terrible year for a few students, I will send a letter home with a copy of the grade book, making sure the envelope doesn't have school insignia (you'd be amazed how many students will intercept mail).  

mathmagic Enthusiast

I do weekly reflection sheets for students that goes home with their papers from the week. This contains a quick 3/2/1 on how they're doing interdisciplinary-wise as well as an "on-time"/late/missing for each homework assignment. It's supposed to come back on Monday, so they will see it over the weekend. Those with numerous missing assignments I have set up a plan to contact daily - briefly listing the night's HW - so that the parents can help build the stronger habits with their child. For me, these methods give a good balance of driving student responsibility and holding them accountable.  

Thank you everyone!  

Rabbitt Connoisseur

Jun 1, 2016

Do you have an assignment notebook or agenda that could be signed by parents? I would only use this with frequent flyers.  

BioAngel Science Teacher - Grades 3-6

Jun 5, 2016

Create a checklist of that week's assignments - check off what assignments came in (with a grade if it's graded) and which assignments did not (you can do this as you go through the week or have it ready to go home for the weekend). (You can probably have students help you do their own checklists as the school year goes on.) The checklist can go into their folder and has to be signed over the weekend and returned with any missing work. You can then put that checklist paper into the student folder and have documentation that the parents saw their grades and missing assignments.  

Jun 6, 2016

I'm so embarrassed to admit this 30+ years later, but I was an expert at screwing with those checklists when I was in middle school. I'd write the assignments in for the teacher to sign, but I'd do it so lightly that I could erase / edit as I felt like doing. If I could do it in the 80s, these kids could do so now. These days, parents have the ability to check grades and assignments online. Even a weekly check using a library computer should work for parents who don't have home internet or smart phones.  

MrsC Multitudinous

All of our students in grades 1-8 have agendas to keep track of homework and assignments. During the first half of the year, I check agendas every day as they leave (it only takes about 2 minutes to do a check of all 28); during the second half of the year, I only need to check about 1/3. I'm strongly leaning towards having a Twitter account for the class next year and posting a photo of the Homework board every day. Between these two methods, everyone will have access to the information.  

catnfiddle said: ↑ These days, parents have the ability to check grades and assignments online. Even a weekly check using a library computer should work for parents who don't have home internet or smart phones. Click to expand...

Jun 9, 2016

catnfiddle said: ↑ I was an expert at screwing with those checklists when I was in middle school. I'd write the assignments in for the teacher to sign, but I'd do it so lightly that I could erase / edit as I felt like doing. Click to expand...

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9 Templates for Responding to Tricky Parent Emails

We’ve got you.

One day, we’ll repair the education system. Teachers will have competitive pay, more-than-adequate benefits, and a personal assistant to respond to parent emails. I’ll be able to tell my grandchild, “You know, when I was a teacher, I had to spend a big part of my day emailing parents.”

Hopping off of his hoverboard, he’ll frown and call out, “Mom! Grandma’s talking nonsense again.”

Until then, we’ve created some email templates you can use to save time and the all-too-precious mental energy it takes to email parents beyond the quick “Thanks for letting me know!” or “Ezra said the funniest thing in class today!”

But before we get to the templates, here are some good rules of thumb for emailing parents:

• Be brief but polite. I always start by thanking them for reaching out and try to validate their concerns .
• Assume the best intentions. Acknowledge the possibility of miscommunication, misperception, and mistakes when possible instead of blame. The value of trustworthy relationships far outweighs the temporary satisfaction of being able to write, “Per my last email …”
• Have a default greeting and closing ready to go. If you always use “Dear ____” and “Thanks, ____,” that’s one less thing you have to think about. Even better if you set up an automatic email signature!
• Be careful with your response time. It’s tempting to want to fire off a reply right away. But this can actually increase the number of emails by creating a text/chat-type environment (“Oh! One more thing!” “Oh, I forgot to attach the form.”) Plus, if you email parents right away, they’ll expect instant communication from you every time. Waiting—especially on more contentious emails—gives everyone a chance to cool down before sending a response.
• Don’t agree or commit to anything you feel weird about over email. Take the time to talk it over with other teachers or a supervisor before responding. Sometimes parents will request special accommodations that should be part of a more formal IEP or 504 meeting.
• Don’t put anything in email you would feel sheepish about defending to your superintendent. 

1. The “I didn’t know about test/quiz/field trip/event” email

Dear _____,

Thanks so much for reaching out. I’m sorry to hear that you were caught off-guard with last week’s [TEST/QUIZ/EVENT]. I just checked to verify that it was listed in [NEWSLETTER/WEBSITE/SCHOOL INFORMATIONAL SYSTEM]. Let me know if you had access issues—I know that can happen sometimes.

I’m happy to allow [STUDENT] to make up the test per our grading policy. [OR: While our grading policy does not allow students to retake quizzes, here are some other ways he can show his learning and recoup those points …]

2. The “I want to know why my child got this grade” email

Thanks so much for your email. I’m happy to share more feedback with you on [STUDENT]’s areas for improvement. Let me know whether [SPECIFIC START/END TIME] or [SPECIFIC START/END TIME] works better for me to call.

*Note: While it may seem like this approach adds more to your workload, it actually takes less time to hop on a phone call than it would to scan the relevant materials, transcribe or copy-paste all the feedback you gave the student, and copy and paste relevant sections of the rubric, etc.

3. The “I want to opt my child out of this lesson/book because I find it offensive” email

If your district does not allow opting out for this unit of study and does not provide the language for your response:

Thank you for sharing this concern. [UNIT OF STUDY] is listed as a state learning standard: [COPY AND PASTE STANDARD]. [UNIT OF STUDY] meets these requirements for learning. If you have any questions, please contact our district lead for [CONTENT AREA], [NAME], at [EMAIL].

If your district allows opting out for this unit of study:

Thanks so much for communicating this with me. Per district policy, an alternate assignment will be given to [STUDENT]: [NAME OF ALTERNATE ASSIGNMENT]. If you have any questions, please contact our district lead for [CONTENT AREA], [NAME], at [EMAIL].

Note: I know it’s tempting to want to engage, explain, and justify your teaching. But this just opens you up for more work that ultimately boils down to families’ values and beliefs about humanity, which are not our job to change. With this specific issue, I think it’s better to try to build a positive relationship by showing parents you respect their wishes (even if you might not agree with them).

4. The “Your class is too hard for my child” email

I’m so glad you reached out. I’m so sorry that [STUDENT] has been feeling confused or lost in class.

Let’s start with tutorials on [DAY and TIME], where I can chat with [STUDENT] and figure out where the disconnect is happening. From there we can develop a plan to either continue tutorials, address any relevant classroom issues, or recommend resources to give them some extra practice.

5. The “Please give my child an extra day on the project because we had a commitment last night” email

If the answer is yes:

Thanks for reaching out about this. I understand how hectic this time of year can get.

Can you ask [STUDENT] to [TALK WITH/EMAIL] me about this today? I know asking things of a teacher can feel intimidating, but I’d love to give them a low-risk opportunity to practice self-advocacy.

If the answer is no:

Per our grade-level policy, late [TESTS/PROJECTS] are [NUMBER] points off per day. However, I’m happy to work with [STUDENT] on other ways they can show their learning to recoup those points.

6. The “I don’t think my child is getting enough homework. Can you send more?” email

Dear ______,

Thanks so much for reaching out about this. It’s important to me that homework is meaningful, but also that each of my students is challenged appropriately.

Here are some online resources and links to good workbooks I’ve gathered for you to extend learning at home: …

Note: I think it’s important to set boundaries with families, including their ability to give you more work. Providing them links to workbooks and online resources connects with them opportunities to extend their child’s learning without giving you extra copying, grading, and feedback to do.

7. The “My child is getting too much homework/homework takes too long” email

Thanks for reaching out about this. It’s so important to me that homework is meaningful, not stressful. I’m glad you let me know.

I’d love to chat with you about some ideas I have for reducing the overwhelm [STUDENT] is feeling. Let me know whether [SPECIFIC TIME] or [SPECIFIC TIME] works better for me to call. 

8. The “My child told me about a negative interaction with you/classmate” email

Thank you for letting me know about this. I’m so sorry to hear that [STUDENT] was feeling [UPSET/FRUSTRATED] about what happened yesterday.

I’d like to make sure we’re on the same page as soon as possible. Let me know whether [SPECIFIC TIME] or [SPECIFIC TIME] works better for me to call.

Note: Like the “I want to know why my child got this grade” email, this approach actually saves you work (and the risk of tone being misinterpreted). But more important, this approach also protects student privacy if the parent wants to discuss an incident involving a classmate.

9. The “We’re going on vacation, can we get the work/test early?” email

How exciting! That will be such a great learning experience for [STUDENT].

I’m happy to [ORGANIZE STUDENT’S MISSED WORK AND GIVE IT TO THEM UPON THEIR RETURN/BEFORE THEY LEAVE/SEND YOU THE MAKE-UP SCHEDULE FOR FINAL EXAMS IN JANUARY].

Wishing you safe travels and a wonderful vacation!

Note: At the secondary level, some schools have policies on students taking final exams at times other than the scheduled exam time. Some even have forms for parents to fill out to request vacations. Be sure to verify with your school that you’re following protocol. If you’re at a new school, I would also run your reply by teachers who have been there a while to make sure you’re in-step with others’ responses.

Every situation, child, and school is different, so you’ll have to adjust your responses accordingly. But with these email templates, you have a framework of how to respond professionally, kindly, and in a way that protects everyone involved.

For more tips on parent management, check out this great roundup .

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Cheney Lake among areas missing out on recent rain

SEDGWICK COUNTY, Kan. (KWCH) - While recent rainfall has been a welcome sight for many across Kansas, more than 80% of the state is still in a drought. And recent storms have been scattered, leaving some areas without any relief. Cheney Lake is among the spots in desperate need of moisture.

On Thursday, 12 News visited Wichita’s main water supply and looked into how water restrictions could be on the way if things don’t change soon.

“For some reason, they keep missing us,” said marina owner Keven O’Brien about the situation at Cheney Lake. “Mother Nature’s got a plan bigger than I do.”

O’Brien said the lack of rainfall is leading to problems for boaters.

“If [Wichita’s drought response plan] hits Phase 2, no one will be able to put a boat in. There may be 100 [feet] of shoreline everywhere.”

This causes problems for O’Brien’s business.

“We’re about 50% off of our revenue compared to last year,” he said. “That’s hard to recover in any business.”

It’s a different story in southeast Kansas where places like Caney and Iola were flooded following a recent storm.

Looking at the situation in south-central Kansas, the question for Cheney Lake is how much rain the lake needs to get out of the drought.

“It would take a lot of rain, hopefully broken up over a couple of events,” said Storm Team 12 Chief Meteorologist Ross Janssen. “A good eight to 10 inches of rain would really be beneficial. It might actually get us closer to normal.”

Janssen said the rain needs to be focused in other areas for it to benefit Cheney Lake.

“The rain that ends up east of Wichita would benefit El Dorado Lake, but it doesn’t do any good for Cheney Lake,” he said. So, we really need to concentrate it west of Wichita. That’s where the city gets most of its drinking water from. And if we don’t start getting more rain, there can be a lot of restrictions.”

If Cheney Lake levels continue to drop, the City of Wichita will have to implement Phase 2 of its drought response plan, restricting the amount of water pulled from the lake.

“And I hate to see it to the point where we do have to go into Phase 2 because that’s going to create a lot of hardships on a lot of things and a lot of people,’ O’Brien said. “...Mother Nature needs to help us out a lot.”

Copyright 2024 KWCH. All rights reserved. To report a correction or typo, please email [email protected]

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Positive Email to Parents from Teacher: 15 Example Emails

Positive Email to Parents from Teacher

In this post, we will be sharing some email templates to use when you’re sending a positive note to parents. Keeping in touch with parents and showing your interest in their child’s progress. It also shows that you care about the student and want them to succeed! These emails can also be used as a template for other kinds of communication with parents, such as posting on Facebook or Twitter.

Here are some examples of general email intros for parents:

Dear Parent/Guardian, Thank you for coming to parent-teacher conferences. It was a pleasure to meet with you and discuss your child’s progress. Please find below some resources that may be useful as you work with your child at home

Dear Parents, I hope you are having a great summer! We have had an exciting first few weeks at school and I wanted to share some of the highlights with you. Here’s what we’ve been up to:

Dear Parent/Guardian, We are very excited about the upcoming school year! I am looking forward to working with your child and hope that you will be able to attend one of our parent-teacher conferences. Please find below some resources that may be useful as you work with your child at home.

Dear Parents, We are so happy to have your child back. Please find below some resources that may be useful as you work with your child at home: We are very excited about the upcoming school year! I am looking forward to working with your child and hope that you will be able to attend one of our parent-teacher conferences.

Dear Parent/Guardian, We are very happy to have your child in our class. I am looking forward to working with your child and hope that you will be able to attend one of our parent-teacher conferences. Please find below some resources that may be useful as you work with your child at home:

Positive Email to Parents from Teacher Sample Emails

Here are some email templates to provide an update on a child’s progress:

I hope you’re having a great summer so far! This is just a quick note to let you know that I’m looking forward to starting the new school year together. Your child has been working hard and learning new things this summer.

We are so excited to have [name] in our class. I wanted to send you a quick update on [Name] ‘s progress. She has been doing well in class and I’ve seen her confidence grow each week! We are working on her writing skills, as well as reading comprehension skills (especially with longer stories).

I wanted to share some inspiring updates. [Name] is also doing great. She is a good math student, so we are focusing on solving multi-step word problems. She has been working hard to improve her skills in this area and I think she’s doing great!

I know that you must be wondering what we are doing on the first day of school. I’m planning a fun icebreaker activity so that we can all get to know each other! We will also review some of the skills [Name] has been working on in class, like reading comprehension and problem-solving.

I’m looking forward to seeing [name] on the first day of school, as well. Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to help prepare [name] for her first day back. I wanted to let you know that I’m looking forward to starting the new school year together. Your child has been working hard and learning new things this summer.

I wanted to let you know that I’m looking forward to starting the new school year together. Your child has been working hard and learning new things this summer. We can’t wait to welcome everyone back to class.

I wanted to send you a quick update on [Name] progress. [Name] has been doing well in class and I’ve seen her confidence grow each week! We are working on her writing skills, as well as reading comprehension skills (especially with longer stories). I’m also starting to introduce some math facts this week.

We wanted to share a few updates. We will be working on addition and subtraction with numbers. [Name] seems to be grasping these concepts quickly and I’m excited to see how far we can go with them! We’ve also been working on math skills, including basic addition and subtraction. She/he is doing great.

[Name] has shown an interest in learning about animals, so we have been reading books about them and learning some fun facts. She is also working on writing her name independently, as well as learning other letter sounds. We are looking forward to meeting again soon!

[Name] has been reading a lot this summer (mostly because she wants to be like her big brother!), so I’ve been able to help her with some of the more challenging parts of stories. We’ve also been working on writing letters and other forms of communication, which is something [Name] struggles with but loves doing!

If you found Positive Email to Parents from Teacher Sample Emails useful, check out other related templates:

• Sample letter to Parents About Academic Concerns (Opens in a new browser tab)

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As a single mom. I thought I had to be 'both parents' for my son. I finally realized we had everything we needed.

• I was a single mom, and I worried my son would feel we were different from other families. 
• I packed our schedule and tried to teach him things I thought a dad would teach him.
• Eventually, I realized I was a good enough parent, all on my own. 

As a single mom, I didn't want my son to feel different from the other kids who lived with both of their parents or had siblings. I probably worked too hard to overcompensate for it being just him and me, as I had heard that the single parent has to be both parents.

In order to make sure my son was getting what I thought he needed, I set the parenting bar way too high for myself. Now that he isn't little anymore and we've both grown up a lot, I can see that I could have done things differently.

I was the one who thought we were missing out

Looking back, I think my son picked up on my own feelings of there being something missing. I had never planned on being a single mom , and it took me a long time to accept my role. In fact, in many ways I was in denial of being a single parent.

Related stories

I thought things would be easier with a partner, and for a little while, I wanted more children . Many of my son's schoolmates had both a mom and dad in addition to siblings, and so I automatically thought my son saw this and wanted the same. So to cope, I viewed my state of single parenting as a temporary condition until I could grow our family.

I packed our schedule too much

I padded our schedule with events to shield us from loneliness , but in retrospect, my son didn't need that. He was always enrolled in an activity, and we always had something social on the agenda, like a family dinner or a lunch with friends.

Even outside of spending time with friends and family, I thought I always had to take him somewhere like the movies, the library, or out to eat. I didn't see it at the time, but I was surrounding us with other people because I thought I wasn't enough for him.

All he needed was his mom

I myself had been raised by a single father and felt that I had missed out on learning things about being a woman from a mother. I thought I needed to make sure I was teaching my son all of the manly things.

I taught him how to play every sport , talked to him about how to talk to girls he liked, and made sure we spent time around male family members. I never had to do any of that though, because he would have learned those things anyway. He still spent time with his father, and at home with me, he saw someone who was taking care of a house as well as taking care of him in every way he needed. I was already "both" parents without needing to try so hard; I just didn't see it.

We each grew to learn that we were enough

While it may have taken a pandemic to shut down our social affairs, eventually my son and I saw that not only were we enough, what we had together was really special. From being just the two of us for so long, we had already formed a strong bond and a beautiful life together at home. We were both elated to just be home with one another and enjoy each other's company. That's when I really learned that he and I had everything we needed all along.

The family my son and I had formed together made it easier for me to see that what I had once wished for didn't equate to a proper family. Families come in all shapes and sizes, and there's only one component needed: love. With just the two of us (and our pets), my son and I had all of the love and family that we each needed. I should have always celebrated that from the beginning, instead of worrying so much about what was missing.

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Emptying my late parents’ home is too hard. Hax readers give advice.

A reader wasn’t prepared for the emotional toll of sifting through their late parents’ possessions.

We asked readers to channel their inner Carolyn Hax and answer this question. Some of the best responses are below.

Dear Carolyn: My widowed father died last year and, since then, I’ve been trying to liquidate my parents’ home. I haven’t made significant progress on it for several reasons and was hoping for a little perspective.

While I’m still trying to figure out how to sell 1,000 $50 tchotchkes and learning that nobody wants even the nice china, my biggest obstacle is sifting through the personal effects. Every drawer or box I open has something they touched or loved or thought was important enough to keep. I have been trying to understand why these things had value to them, and it’s taking so much time and more of an emotional toll than I thought. With every letter or note or picture I throw away, I feel like I’m throwing away a piece of them. It’s like if I don’t keep enough evidence of their lives, they will disappear. I will scan the things I want to archive when I can winnow it down, but I’m a long way from that right now.

I’m also surprised by the intimacy of this process. I’m learning things about my parents that are challenging my understanding of who they were. Some if it isn’t pleasant, and I don’t think I have the capacity to manage this without some context.

I know there are professionals that liquidate estates, but that process seems too radical and dishonorable for me. There has to be an in-between.

— Estate Matters

Estate Matters: First, you’re not going to forget them; they will always live in your memory. Even if you tossed everything, you would still have the memories. Second, not everything they kept had value to them. They probably had a lot of clutter they didn’t take the time to sort through.

It would probably help if you gave some thought to where you want to end up as far as keeping your parents’ stuff. Do you, for instance, want two or three significant pieces of furniture, plus a handful of practical items that you can use and remember them by? Do you want a small box of letters and such that are just mementos? Accepting that you’re not going to keep everything will help.

Finally, you don’t say when last year he passed. Time will take the edge off the feeling of losing them again when you let go of their things, and the dissonance of their not being the idealized people you grieved. It’s okay to have a deal-with-later box for the hardest, most personal stuff. And the professionals can be a good solution for the things you just need to figure out how to sell, when you’re ready, without abandoning the closing of your parents’ household to anyone else. I’m sorry about your parents.

Estate Matters: I feel your pain, and you have my condolences! When my mom died in 2001, I couldn’t bring myself to empty her closets and drawers. Way too much emotional baggage. When my sister-in-law came to visit a few months later, I asked her to help me. She was great!

About Carolyn Hax

She packed everything up, then asked me to wait three days and think of one thing I would miss if she donated or trashed all the bags and boxes of stuff. After three days, I couldn’t, and she did. It’s been 23 years, and I still don’t miss anything specific. Except my mom — I miss her every single day.

— Spinning Goddess

Estate Matters: I am forever grateful to my two good friends who came over and helped me through the clearing of my father’s house, which had become the repository of “treasures” going back to great-grandparents on his and my mother’s sides. They were helpful in providing needed logical clarity on organizing the process and providing the emotional buoyancy throughout the day that kept me from becoming paralyzed from the emotional overload. If you are fortunate enough in friends and time, this might be an option, taken in manageable bites.

And don’t discount the value of the liquidators. Just because all these things were their treasures doesn’t mean you are disrespectful if you don’t make all of them yours as well. With my friends’ help, I was able to find what was important for me to keep, and the estate sale people unburdened me from the rest.

— Been There, Done That

Estate Matters: It is always difficult to close the lives of those we love. With both your parents gone, it will be next to impossible to know or understand the context of the information you are finding out about them. It may be best to box up these items and slowly review them as you feel up to it. If even that would be too difficult for you to do, then keep any paperwork needed for tax purposes and discard the rest.

There are many things all of us will never know or understand about our parents. Maybe we need to hold close the best of our memories and release all other things from our grasp, for our own well-being.

Estate Matters: I found this experience to be difficult as well. First, I donated things like sheets and towels to a homeless shelter. Then, I offered kitchen things to young college students or couples starting out. I did the same with the furniture, too.

Finally, I came face-to-face with things that held so many memories, and I realized that I could not keep them all. Rather than dismantling my parents’ lives, I decided to start offering things to people who knew and loved them: a small statue went to one friend, a painting to another, Christmas items to people who wanted such decorations, etc.

People who loved my parents were delighted to have something of theirs. When I would visit those homes, I saw my parents’ presence there in these objects. Sharing my parents’ things helped me to spread their love to others, and that became a joy.

— Happy Old Lady

Every week, we ask readers to answer a question submitted to Carolyn Hax’s live chat or email. Read last week’s installment here . New questions are typically posted on Thursdays, with a Monday deadline for submissions. Responses are anonymous unless you choose to identify yourself and are edited for length and clarity.

More from Carolyn Hax

From the archive:

Granddad is willing to let a hyphen create a big family divide

At first blush, a wife’s ‘stubbornness’ looks like emotional abuse

She didn’t like the watch he gave her. Now he’s ticked.

Skip brother’s wedding to avoid abusive parents?

Mother-in-law says moving away means they ‘hate’ her

Sign up for Carolyn’s email newsletter to get her column delivered to your inbox each morning.

Carolyn has a Q&A with readers on Fridays. Read the most recent live chat here . The next chat is May 3 at 12 p.m .

Resources for getting help. Frequently asked questions about the column. Chat glossary

Man was ‘missing eyeball, ear’ following violent attack, authorities say

LAS VEGAS ( KVVU /Gray News) - The victim of a violent attack was missing his eyeball and ear, according to authorities in Las Vegas.

According to an arrest report, around 4:45 a.m. on Sunday, police received a 911 call from an employee at a 7-Eleven reporting a fight in the parking lot. The caller told dispatchers that a man had tackled and punched a customer in the parking lot and was “banging his head on the concrete, appeared paranoid, was screaming and yelling, and pacing in front of the business.”

GRAPHIC WARNING: Details may be disturbing to some readers.

When officers arrived, they found Colin Czech, 31, “kneeling on the ground” next to the victim’s head and “had blood on his face and hands” as well as “biological matter on his face, hands, mouth and clothing,” according to the report.

Officers said Czech “gave a blank stare” without saying anything when they asked him what happened.

The victim, identified as only Kenneth, was taken to UMC Trauma Center by arriving medical personnel, where he would later be pronounced dead. Officers also observed Czech “going in and out of consciousness,” and transported him to UMC as well.

While in custody, Czech allegedly told officers that the man attacked him. He also told officers that he was homeless and had not slept for “five days straight” because something was “possessing him.”

Czech claimed he was fighting a “shape-shifter” and that he was “tweaking.” Czech told officers that he heard voices in his head, which were telling him to kill the victim, who he did not know, according to the report.

When asked what he used to hurt the victim, Czech claimed a “higher power” helped him and he “used his teeth” to hurt the victim and “eat [his] eyeballs and ears,” according to authorities.

During the attack, Czech said he did not see the victim with any weapons.

A detective observing the victim’s body and crime scene would discover that the body was “missing a left eye and a left ear.” Blood splatter at the scene also revealed that the head of the body forcefully struck the concrete.

After being discharged from the hospital, Czech was arrested on murder charges and was booked into Clark County Detention Center.

Copyright 2024 KVVU via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

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