Communicating with Teachers During Virtual Learning

At its peak earlier this year, school closures in the U.S. affected more than 55 million students* and resulted in a crash course on virtual learning for many of us, our children and their teachers. Now, as schools reopen with virtual learning still in the mix in lots of places, we’re still trying to figure out the rules. Among them are how – and how often – we should be communicating with our child’s teacher.

That link to teacher can be a lifeline for both your child and you. It’s important for young children to have some time with teacher as part of the interaction they need for social development. And since most of us parents are still feeling our way through learning at home, we’re likely to have lots of questions for the teacher.

So, what are the rules? Are there rules? Maybe not rules, but there are some guidelines you can use to make sure you get what you and your child need without turning into a pesky parent. Rob Bieschke is an Education Project Manager at Kiddie Academy corporate and a former Academy teacher. We asked Rob to suggest some ways to ensure your contacts with teachers are a productive experience for all.

Mr. Rob’s Tips

Know your child’s schedule and this will help know the teacher’s schedule. The teacher may only be available for limited times due to one-on-one Zoom calls, class Zoom calls, meetings or small group in-person learning.

Due to the nature of remote learning and remote teaching, most communication may be done through email. Be sure to get the teacher’s school email address. Most teachers communicate electronically and are attentive to and respond to emails.

Some children may be using an electronic portal to upload work or respond to questions and prompts from the teacher. Many of these portals have a message board or instant message ability for the children to speak directly with the teachers. This may be a good resource to speak with your child’s teacher.

Schedule a private Zoom call with your child’s teacher. Zoom is the go-to method for communication during this time of remote learning. Remember that the teacher’s schedule may not be very open, so be flexible. Ask if your child’s teacher has “virtual office hours.”

Agree on a consistent delivery method for communicating with the teacher. Zoom, instant message, email – these are great ways to communicate. However, choose one and only communicate via that platform.

Thanks, Rob. Those are great ideas. Here are some additional helpful sources of information on this topic:

“Nurturing Teacher-Student Connections in a Virtual World” – Education Week
“How Often Should I Contact My Child’s Teacher?” – Understood.org

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