Parents are “the most influential agents of catechesis for their children” (National Directory for Catechesis, 234). For this reason, it is absolutely necessary to involve parents in various aspects of our religious education programs. This requires us as religious educators to communicate regularly with parents as much as possible.
One way to do this is to compliment a parent about how well a student is doing in class. Like day 11, today we will focus on the effort that students are putting in rather than the outcomes they achieve. For this exercise we might also focus on the student or students who don’t often get phone calls and emails of a positive nature to their parents from their teachers.
Parent Conversation Template
As promised in 31 Days to Becoming a Better Religious Educator, here is the downloadable template of the conversation you might have with one of the parents of your students. Feel free to edit it and tweak it to your situation.
Download the parent conversation template [PDF / Word].
Here is the text from the book:
Hi [parent’s name], this is [student’s name]’s [religion teacher/catechist].
I’m calling with some good news about your [son/daughter]. I want to share with you how impressed I have been with [his/her] actions. [He/she] [explain the positive actions or efforts you would like to share with the parent]. These kinds of actions have made [him/her] an important asset to our classroom and [school/parish] community. Thanks for everything you do for [him/her].
I am always available if you have any questions about your child’s progress or if you want to hear more about what we are doing in class. Just reach out to me via [state how you would like parents to contact you: e-mail, phone, written note, etc.].
Thanks for your time! Have a wonderful night.
