Sometimes I email her and ask her how she doing

Anonymous wrote:Kids are in upper elementary school. Most of my emails to the teacher are administrative (e.g. kid is out sick) beyond that, I maybe email once or twice a year. Yet I know some people seem to be in frequent communication with teachers. Am I unusual? Should I be emailing more? Or if you’re regularly in contact is it about specific issues?

Uh, never. I didn’t know this was a thing people did.

Kid is sick I call the office. I see the teacher at conferences. I will reply if the contact me. But why would I email a teacher otherwise? Don’t do this!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Once this year, to explain ADHD, ask for some light accommodations (preferential seating near high achievers at the front of class rooms and just a few check-ins to make sure he's not daydreaming), and advise on how to support him at home. He was almost failing the class, so I felt I had to be proactive.

Half the kids in any given class have adhd. This is no longer a rarity

Can you imagine how far the teacher rolls her eyes when he or she is being explained to by OR? I’m sure he or she knows a lot more adhd kids and how to manage the classroom than OR. Plus, I’m assuming the kid has a 504.

Anonymous wrote:Once this year, to explain ADHD, ask for some light accommodations (preferential seating near high achievers at the front of class rooms and just a few check-ins to make sure he's not daydreaming), and advise on how to support him at home. He was almost failing the class, so I felt I had to be proactive.

This always gets on my nerves. The good kids who are ahead get stuck with the problem kids.

Maybe like 2x a year? This year, one about a social situation and another about test scores

Anonymous wrote:Once this year, to explain ADHD, ask for some light accommodations (preferential seating near high achievers at the front of class rooms and just a few check-ins to make sure he's not daydreaming), and advise on how to support him at home. He was almost failing the class, so I felt I had to be proactive.

Half the kids in any given class have adhd. This is no longer a rarity

Never. In fairness, they don’t email me ever either- except the general blast with conference sign up link. I’ve also never talked with principal or VP. I don’t even know who the VP is at either school my children attend

I have friends that are in frequent communication with various teachers AND principal/VP, and counselors. The big difference is she lives in a very wealthy school district- I think the parents there are very demanding for communication and personal attention.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kids are in upper elementary school. Most of my emails to the teacher are administrative (e.g. kid is out sick) beyond that, I maybe email once or twice a year. Yet I know some people seem to be in frequent communication with teachers. Am I unusual? Should I be emailing more? Or if you’re regularly in contact is it about specific issues?

I’m a teacher and a parent.

I don’t email my kids’ teachers unless I need to update them about something serious, like an extended absence.

Teachers are swamped. I don’t feel right adding to their workloads.

This response is confusing to me. I get not emailing teachers all the time but I don't see emailing the teacher about something important as "adding to their workloads." If it's important, it's already part of their workload, and an email might even make it easier -- info is power.

Like the ADHD example or the kid who lost a grandparents -- letting the teacher know stuff like that doesn't add to their workload, it provides them with useful info that can help them deal with the kid in class without having to wonder what's going on.

Obviously if people are emailing teachers asking them to do extra work, that's a different thing, but does anyone who is not a cartoon villain actually do that? I cannot imagine.

Once this year, to explain ADHD, ask for some light accommodations (preferential seating near high achievers at the front of class rooms and just a few check-ins to make sure he's not daydreaming), and advise on how to support him at home. He was almost failing the class, so I felt I had to be proactive.

I email when I think it's necessary. Pretty much all emails are of the FYI variety. Usually commonplace stuff (absence or early release), very occasionally something more serious (like that a grandparent died, so they are aware of why DC might be behaving a bit different).

The worse is having to email about any kind of classroom problem, I'll do almost anything to avoid this because I can sense that teachers hate it but sometimes it's impossible -- you have to let them know. Once it was regarding my kid in K who was having accidents on the way home daily because there was a bathroom issue that made them hold it all day. Another time there was a conflict with another student that was escalating during recess and involved concerning behavior and the teacher needed to be aware so it could be monitored and the kids separated as necessary.

It is frustrating when you email the teacher and don't hear back at all. I am fine if the response is short or if it takes several days. But yes, sometimes you need to talk to the teacher about something and it's annoying when they are totally non-responsive.

Practically never.

I’ve emailed and spoked to my son’s teacher because he was falling a bit behind in an area so we’ve been working together to get him caught up and understanding the material. I’ve also emailed about some homework clarification.

We’re supposed to be emailing the teachers!?!

Anonymous wrote:Kids are in upper elementary school. Most of my emails to the teacher are administrative (e.g. kid is out sick) beyond that, I maybe email once or twice a year. Yet I know some people seem to be in frequent communication with teachers. Am I unusual? Should I be emailing more? Or if you’re regularly in contact is it about specific issues?

I’m a teacher and a parent.

I don’t email my kids’ teachers unless I need to update them about something serious, like an extended absence.

Teachers are swamped. I don’t feel right adding to their workloads.

Kids are in upper elementary school. Most of my emails to the teacher are administrative (e.g. kid is out sick) beyond that, I maybe email once or twice a year. Yet I know some people seem to be in frequent communication with teachers. Am I unusual? Should I be emailing more? Or if you’re regularly in contact is it about specific issues?