Style and Delivery in Parent-Teacher Communication

      Katie descriptively drew the line between a teacher's clear but not condescending language in a high school English class. The same care should be taken when the teacher communicates with parents in both written and verbal form.

Written Style:

     Email ensures a quick and easy way for teachers to contact the parents of struggling students. When Mrs. Nelson needs to inform a mother about her son's frequent absences and failing grades, she observes the norms of "English teacher" style. She is sure to use correct grammar, express her argument clearly, and add a touch of ornateness to make the difficult message sound a little more pleasing. She does not personally know James's mother. Mrs. Nelson avoids a condescending or accusatory tone by using figurative language like parallelism (to place herself and the parent on the same level of concern for James), and anacoenosis (asking the opinion of the audience). After reviewing James's grades, Mrs. Nelson writes the following:

Hello Mrs. Tucker, 

I have the pleasure of teaching your son, James, in my English class. He is respectful and very kind to other students. 

Unfortunately, I am aware of frequent absences and unexplained late work from him. Do you feel concerned about his performance in this class? Like you, I care for the well-being of your son. Literacy will be an essential skill throughout his life, and I worry that he is not taking full advantage of the opportunity to learn it now. I believe you would do anything in your power to provide him with a positive future. I hope you believe that I will do all in my power to help him, too, to improve his reading, writing, and critical thinking abilities.

In order to discuss with him the necessity of attending class regularly and completing the homework assignments, I would appreciate an in-person conference with both of you, next Thursday afternoon at 4 pm. Please let me know if this time works for you. 

Thank you,

Mrs. Nelson

Verbal Delivery:

     A parent-teacher conference is a familiar mode of communication that deals with verbal delivery. Let's suppose Mrs. Nelson had simply called Mrs. Tucker to schedule a face-to-face conference:

     Mrs. Tucker and James arrive at the door of Mrs. Nelson's classroom. The teacher kindly smiles and invites them to sit with her at a round table where a sense of equality and mutual respect resides. Mrs. Nelson begins by asking about James's extracurricular activities. Her question improves her ethos by showing that she cares for him as a person and not 'just another' student. Plus, it allows her to get an idea about outside factors that may be inhibiting his scholastic performance. She continues by addressing Mrs. Tucker, saying much of what was written in the example email above. In addition to the words she speaks, she uses gestures that suggest openness, facial expressions of consideration, and a tone of voice that is firm but loving. She allows Mrs. Tucker and James to voice their thoughts, and the discussion ends with a hopeful plan for James's scholastic success.