What do you look for in a homeroom teacher?

As parent and as a teacher myself, I’d say in any teacher, I look for a caring manner and confidence building. Ideally, I’d like the homeroom teacher and every other teacher to be support for and an advocate of my child.

The rest would depend upon the amount of time a student is with a homeroom teacher each day. If it’s 5 minutes in the morning, a warm greeting and a pleasant send-off is all any homeroom can accomplish. If students are with their homeroom teacher for any length of time, as mine are with me - I try to keep an extra eye out for my LD students and help them in the morning to be organized for the school day. I’ll help them finish homework they didn’t get done the night before and remind them of what’s going on that day and generally work to set a positive tone for the day.

Thanks, Sara

You sound like a dream. Now, what about paperwork. ..letter writing and stuff. Are you in touch by mail, phone, meetings with parents?

How old are the kids in your class.

Much obliged,

Judih

My school requires us to call parents three times a year - in the middle of the marking period - to let them know how things are going.

At parents’ night, I put my school e-mail address, my school phone number which connects to a voice mail and my home phone number on the board. Parents are welcome to contact me through any of those three ways.

Some years I have sent out a little newsletter from time to time. I’ ve taught many different grades but in recent years, I teach 5th through 8th.

Thanks again.

As an English teacher, I send out good news letters when the kids deserve them, and I give daily reports to the homeroom teacher - good stuff and not so good. When she gets a stack of negatives from other teachers, she calls parents in for meetings.

I call parents when I need to inform them of behaviour that requires their support (certain parents have asked me to call them, so I do). Other than that, I see some parents in school all the time about their child’s lack of performance. I guess we’re the extreme because we’re a Kibbutz-based school and most teachers do not have to work two or three other jobs to make ends meet (though that’s changing).

I’m considering home-rooming an 8th grade class temporarily (hopefully) but since I’m also ADD, I’m concerned.

Thanks for your input,

Judih

In our middle school, we use planners missing assignments are noted every Thursday. Parents signature is required by the following Tuesday. E-mail, phone is crucial, our school policy is that we must respond within 24 hours or any form of contact.

Staff e-mails are listed on the website, as well as, in documentation from the teacher ex. notes.

Hope this helps
Shel

Thank you Shel

Sounds like a good plan, and relatively simple to carry out.
Very good of you to share,

Judih