The Importance of Communication in Times like These
In current society, “times like these” would refer to the ongoing pandemic and any ongoing situation that has potential to disrupt children’s school and family lives.
Strengthened communication, transparency and trust are key in not only keeping up with children’s school lives, but also any new infection control measures. It may be hard to keep up with their lives especially if they do not openly share how their days have gone. An open, two-way communication between parents and teachers will ensure that any feedback and concerns are addressed.
Parents who have a good relationship with their children’s school have children that demonstrate the following behavior:
- Greater class participation
- Positive feelings towards school
- Better grasp of learning material and improved academic performance
- Reduced school-related stress
Some ways to strengthen communication between schools and parents include the following:
1. Assess communication needs
Both sides should have a chat to set their expectations straight on their preferred communication channels and frequency. This way teachers can tailor their engagement and communication approaches to each student and their family. Ultimately, it is a team effort to nurture children for personal growth and academic success, including during a pandemic.
2. Establish a clear and reliable communication channel
While there are a variety of communication methods available for schools to reach parents, it is important to have a single consolidated platform that provides one-stop access to information parents need.
Technology that is both sophisticated and school-centric exists, and it is there for you to maximize. Certain school management systems may have multiple parent communication functions within a single app – e.g. private message function, mass broadcast function, and survey function.
Some added benefits of using such a centralized system to communicate with teachers are:
- Quick and comprehensive updates on students’ performance in school
- Health and medical updates
- A secure chat function for teachers and parents to have live chats
- Up-to-date information on COVID-19 measures or school events
- A safe platform to discuss any concerns and feelings
3. Open information sharing
Though there may only be twenty four hours in a day, parents should make it a point to carve time for their children. Children may feel neglected and frequent communication is needed to overcome this. One tool you can use to learn more about them would be the school management system.
Teachers and parents should take steps to trust one another and share across all relevant information. Either side should alert the other if anyone at home has fallen ill (COVID-19 or not), or if any form of additional support is needed. Schools should emphasize that they will provide the support needed both at home and in class.
To sum it up
A smart school management system is designed to make your life easier. It is the nervous system for your institution around which other technologies are incorporated. It is, in fact, a master plan to regulate administrative operations in a consolidated, integrated, efficient and smooth way to increase the productivity of your school.
If you are still looking for a system that will work well for your school's operations, you can contact LittleLives to see how we can help!
