Phone? Email? Remind 101? Text? Messenger Pigeon? Face to Face? Chat? What do you do and when??
In the last 36 hours I've been thinking big about communication and had several thoughts. These thoughts came both from my masters classes, reading Michael Fullan, The Principal, 3 Keys to Maximizing Success and Gardening in the Minefield
Email is great. It's fast, mobile, to the point. Not very emotive. Probably should be used less frequently and as a conveyance for information, rather than as a way to communicate.
Remind 101 (and similar) is quick, mobile, one way, easy to use and perfect for a blast to a group. Not going to send a Remind about Suzy chipping her tooth, but for whole group info, it's solid
Text is also quick and very convenient to use when sending a Yes or No message to a family or colleague. Watch what you type, especially if you have big thumbs.
Phone home for really good news, not just the news you don't want to email. Kids should be excited about getting a call home from an educator who wants to brag about how awesome that kid was in class.
Messenger Pigeon sounds silly, but really, sometimes a hand written note is just the thing. A parent went above and beyond to help at the school, send a card. A kid went out of her way to help the school with a big project- send a card.
We are a #GAFE school, so we all have access to GChat. Imagine if everyone on staff sent a chat to ask if they can borrow that one dongle instead of an email? One less in the inbox is a victory.
As a teacher or administrator, talking Face to Face is the best way to create a relationship, the best way to share great news or bad news, and generally much more exciting than an email. Smile, listen, be honest and wise with your words, and listen. Did I mention listen?Schools, and really all organizations are all about relationships and the connections we foster.
As educators and learners, we need to foster and cultivate positive relationships daily, and for me, this starts with effective communication and listening. Did I mention listening?
