Parents - Question

Huh, public school Mom here...

I wouldn't expect anything like that, but I would expect THE SCHOOL...meaning the Principal to formally intro the new teacher to the populous parents included in the form of a letter home. Getting it from the teacher direct would probably make me raise an eyebrow.

In the letter, usually just where the education was from, how long they've been teaching...any awards or recog gained and what their goals are for the year. That'd be pretty much it. But I would expect that to be more of a Principal lead thing.

Oh, and the schools website has a Faculty page with a short bio on all the teachers...same thing...different format.

The vice principal did send a letter, I'm pretty sure b/c she hired him and then told us we couldn't tell anyone until her letter to the parents went out.  Then last weekend my aunt already knew DH got the job so the vice principal must've sent the letter and told the other teachers.

My aunt is really REALLY into teaching (my mom calls her the "helicopter teacher" instead of a helicopter parent), it has been her life for 40 years and she is the type to always go way above and beyond, so I am not surprised she would tell DH to write his own letter nor surprised to hear it's not the norm.

I think a introduction letter is a great idea and what makes private school different from public.  I WOULD expect a letter of introduction if a new teacher was entering my childs class mid year, and one that invites me to communicate openly to discuss my childs needs.  The letter dosen't have to be long, should cover education and personal, let the parents see your human, non-teacher side too. I would like to know the teachers name before my kids tell me, I know this teacher has an education, so not as important, but I would be interested in their goals and objectives for my sons class.  I would like to know the teacher personally a bit, what they like, your hubby could say something cute like I have no children of my own but 3 great dogs. As a parent knowing before hand what my child can expect with a teacher change is what I am most interested in.

Here are my thoughts:

Talk about where he attained his teacher's degree from and also about how many years he has been working as a teacher or student teacher.   It is also fine to write about any additional qualifications and whether he is currently pursuing some course.

The next part of the letter should discuss what students and parents can expect for the remainder of the year and if any changes of homework policy, reading requirements, projects etc. will occur.  Here, you can mention your teaching style and briefly about the syllabus that will be covered during the remainder of the year. You can mention the activities that will be taking place in the class as well as in the school like projects, picnics, educational trips, etc. This helps the students' enthusiasm and they will surely look forward to a new teacher. You can also discuss some specific things or concerns like homework, studies, etc. in your letter.

The letter should end by encouraging the parents to communicate with you, if they feel the need to do so. It is important to mention the time during which the parents can come to meet you in school. Mentioning your email address is a good way of telling the parents that you are welcome to hear from them about the concerns they have about their children. Communication through email makes for teacher-parent interaction on a daily basis, easier, we use it in our school and I love it!

If you open up communication by email be prepared to spend extra time each day, responsiveness is the key to success!

Best of luck to your DH!!

ETA:  And congratulatons to him as well!

Thanks, that's the kind of info he's looking for.  He does like to have relationships with the parents despite the extra time and work involved (he's done mostly special ed, so being able to work with parents and with the regular classroom teachers is as important as teaching).

I dont know a lot, but I think he should make the letter for the parents and the kids! So there is a little fun something for everybody to get to know thier new teacher. The parents and students could read it together.

sl2crmeg

It's too horrifyingly cheesey to post publicly.

Wimp...

DS#2 attends a private school. Before the beginning of the school year, DS's teacher sent out an introduction letter to us. She told us about when/where she went to school. She gave us a brief run down of her hobbies, her family, & her previous work experience. She also challenged parents to be involved & active in their child's education.

Congrats on the job, btw!

rwbeagles

In the letter, usually just where the education was from, how long they've been teaching...any awards or recog gained and what their goals are for the year. That'd be pretty much it. But I would expect that to be more of a Principal lead thi

I've long term subbed twice, once for Kindergarten and once for third grade.  When I went in for both, the previous teacher wrote a letter home stating that she would be leaving and I would be taking over.  When I started, I sent my letter home stating pretty much what Gina stated above.  These were both for the same public school, the principal had nothing to do with it.  They wouldn't have thought to do it themselves.

sl2crmeg

OMG, Lies, they have us do stupid stuff like that in college these days. Send me a regular email and I'll send you a copy of mine as an attachment. It's too horrifyingly cheesey to post publicly.

It sounds perfect, lol!

lies.rosema@dutchbingo.net

I got a teacher's letter prior to the start of this school year, she had written about her hobbies, her family and her favorite things about teaching Kindergarten. It was written in a light mood and easy enough for my 5 yr old to read and understand (he is way ahead in the reading department).

I liked it, it got us off to a great start with a parent/teacher relationship.  Which with Noah's adhd, has been very important this year!