PR is Real

Public relations in the classroom is a real thing, especially at the beginning of the year. It's hard to please everyone, but I work hard to make a good impression with parents. It's my job to get them on my side as soon as possible which often requires some sacrifice of both time and money, but I know parents notice.

They notice the phone call I make to them before school even starts.

They notice the personalized post card I send to their child before the year begins.

They notice the apple and note I give them at Back to School Night.

They notice the balloon I leave at their child's desk when they meet me for the first time.

They notice the fact that I update our class website daily and add pictures and descriptions of what their child is doing each day.

As the year starts and parents notice the extra things I'm willing to do to make them comfortable with this person who will watch over their child for the next nine months, I'm essentially making deposits to their account. In fact, before school even starts, their accounts are accumulating with positive reasons to trust me. Along the way though, when I make an error or there's some kind of misunderstanding or an issue arises and it feels like a withdrawal is being made, most parents are more likely to show an extra amount of grace because their accounts were already full. This is less likely to happen with an empty account or one running low on funds, and it usually results in a deficit.

So the little extra things we teachers do for the benefit of our parents during the craziest time of the year when there are already a million things on our plates are worth doing. Don't stop, teachers. Parents are important players in this game, and we want them playing for us and not against. 

What types of deposits are you making?