Talking to Teachers: What Way Works Best?

I agree with the op. I am a teacher myself and I find it a lot easier to e-mail. I don't have time to call parents all day. Also like the op said, if I were to call a parent they would probably hear my daughter yelling in the background. The e-mails are a lot easier in my opinion so I voted for email.

I am also a teacher and I rarely get voicemails because they never make it to me. I prefer the email too!

Particularly for minor concerns and routine matters, email is best. I'm a school counselor and I know what the teachers work load is like. It's a big job. I suggest putting as much responsibility on your kid for knowing what they are supposed to do, assignment questions, etc. We aren't requiring kids to be responsible enough these days although the academic workload is greatly increased in terms of difficulty from when I was in school.

I am NOT a teacher I prefer face to face......My child is not just another johnny in the classroom from  the time I sit down in a conference chair at the beginning of the year thru the last day of school....I have met a number of teachers most have been great but I have also met the undesirable couple of teachers that I had to deal with on a more personnel level and once they saw this mother was not going away with a note we learned to tolerate each other with out costing my child anything as far as academically,he did loose respect for one of the teachers but you earn respect you don't recieve it as a gift........So as I am from the ole school I still prefer the time to sit and met the parent it says something for the teacher's concern for their students....Angel

I'm a Kindergarten teacher. I think it depends on the focus of the discussion. Minor issues can be dealt with through email opr the phone. More serious ones need to be dealt with face to face, with an appointment. I prefer email to phone calls these days, it's easier to deal with things when I have the opportunity and time.

I am a teacher and I prefer email.  Often when I DO get the chance to call back all I get is voice mail, so I leave a detailed message and ask the parent to call me back again or email me if they have any further questions.  I teach high school and with 160+ students that I see in ONE day it is much easier for me to get an email off in a detailed way than it is to find the time to make a phone call during school hours (7:30am-4:30PM are my normal hours).  I will not call from home as that is the time that I am with my kids (I am also a widowed mom).

Now, I am more than willing to meet with parents, but the ones that are constantly at my door are frankly annoying.  I get tired of seeing them and their students do suffer the consequences.  The students fail to learn responsibility.  I do try to encourage parents to have students bring grade check sheets to me and to be more proactive and shift as much as I can to the students.

I am in my kid's classrooms a minimum of once a week to check in. I have spent time observing in each classroom, and per the suggestion of my DD's kindergarten teacher, I will be interviewing next years teachers and then deciding who will best fit my kids' needs. I spend a lot of time volunteering at the school. I am one of those parents that just won't go away. I respect the teachers boundaries during the school day, and stay out of classrooms that don't need parent volunteers, but during recess and lunch, I am there checking in and asking questions. I often will buy my kid's teachers lunch so I can get a good long update on thier progress. That said, I do not have average children. They started school WAY behind, and are now all ahead or at grade level despite learning and behavior problems. My kid's progress has happened because I maintain good, regular contact with thier teachers. I see all of us as a team working FOR my kids.

While I understand why a teacher prefers email, as a parent, I prefer face-to-face, especially if it's a serious issue.  My son is only two years old, but I plan to be very involved when he goes to school.  I am determined to have the best possible relationship with all of his teachers while staying on top of what's going on with his education and social life on campus.

I prefer talking face- to face, my  my son is 7 and i want her to know that i'm taking the issue seriously.  To many parents in my area don't really care but do.