I have been searching for comments from teachers about using texting with parents and I came across this article about using Teleparent to connect with parents. It is a commercial solution that says it is easy to use. Parents seem to like the results. A parent is quoted:
“Having this information has given me a better sense of how my daughter is doing in school,” says Nihipali. “I try my best to look after her, but this fills in the gaps.”
When I was young – yes a few years ago – the only thing my mother did was help me grow large carrots for the 4H fair. She did not come to school or get involved in the day to day happenings at school. Nevertheless she, along with my Dad did instil in me a desire to learn and an expectation to succeed.
Today, if parents want, they can have their child’s every movement communicated to them at a moment’s notice. As convenient as that is, I can’t help wonder, if this instant access to grades and activities garners the same desire to learn and expectation to succeed as the methods used by my parents?
I am not in the classroom right now so, if you are a teacher using texting to connect with parents, can you tell me if this is a fad or an effective communication tool to support student learning? Are your students accepting their responsibility to learn or they fitting into a mould others are carving out for them?
Here is the link to the article. http://thejournal.com/articles/2008/04/01/meet-the-parents.aspx
