I remember the loooonnngggg days (and weeks) of waiting for SOME KIND of parent feedback when I was a #newbie… SO I wanted to share what I have been consistently doing (in my classes and in my class feedback) in case it helps YOU up your parent feedback rate as well!
1. If you don’t read any further, read this: BE YOUR [OWN BEST] SELF! You will find that certain students will take your class a few times and then move on… while other students seem to stick! This is because your teaching style is unique! It will be a fit for some but not for others. Minimal props or a bazillion props. A simple background or a bedazzled background... Loud & hyped or more reserved & quiet... It's all GOOD! Pay attention to the tags that the parents leave you in their feedback. This is what they LOVE about YOU. Don’t try to fit into another teacher’s box. Just keep doing YOU, and always teach your heart out!
2. Pay attention to special things about your students. I use #FeedbackPanda to keep track of the details that my students share with me about their lives. This can be ANYTHING! The number of siblings they have, what they ate for dinner, their favorite class in school, their hobbies, or the place that they live. You can use these details to refer back to and to build on in future classes. A student will LIGHT UP if you remember to ask them how their soccer game went last Friday, or if they finished the comic book they were reading last time. Parents will notice and appreciate YOUR attention to their child’s interests. (As a parent myself, I can say this goes a long way with me.) You’re taking the class and making it more relatable and personal for the student.
To take this a step further, feel free to ASK QUESTIONS in the feedback. Ask for the parents to clarify what a student tried to communicate with you, ask about their interests, or ask what they did over the weekend... This may encourage the parent to respond to you via Teacher Feedback (5 apples here we come!). Here is what I may include in my feedback: I am very grateful for the opportunity to teach [name] and to see her grow. What are some things that [name] likes? I would be honored to incorporate some of her interests into our lessons together.
*(Be sure to check out my post on how I use Feedback Panda for quick feedback!)
3. Adopt the mindset that YOU and the PARENT are in a partnership, steering the student toward success TOGETHER. You know the saying, “the customer is always right”? Well in our case, the parents are the customers. Parents come in all shapes and sizes (metaphorically speaking of course), and they are paying you GOOD MONEY for their child to learn English. Be prepared to humbly meet each parent where they are at in their parenting journey! There are plenty of teachers in the online teaching sea. Be the teacher that supports, values and appreciates the parent. Some simple ways to do this include thanking the parent for giving you the opportunity to teach their child (remember, they have options!). Thank them for providing time for their child to practice English at home. Thank them for teaching their student diligence or good study habits. It’s likely that their son/daughter is just beginning this English language adventure... They are looking to YOU as the English instructor to define and guide this educational experience. Little supportive comments can go a long way in building rapport with the family (and will likely result in rebookings!).
4. Reply to EVERY parent feedback… the good, the brief, and less than stellar.
Even if the feedback is *glowing*, REPLY. Thank them for their kind comments. Choose something that the parent said that you agree with and acknowledge this. Compliment their child again. Thank them for giving you the opportunity to continue teaching their child.
Even if they don’t leave you any comments, REPLY. The family took some time to leave you a positive review, be sure that you thank them for this! "Thank you NAME and Family for your kind 5 apple rating! I look forward to seeing NAME in the classroom again soon"
Even if the feedback is less than stellar, REPLY. Acknowledge the parent’s concerns—make sure that they feel heard and understood. Feel free to defend your teaching (after viewing the playback for perspective and evidence…) by stating a couple of specific ways that you provided excellent instruction. If the parent makes a request that you are willing to meet, state clearly how you will accomplish this in your next class together. A parent once requested that we spend the intro/rapport building time to practice sight words. My response? Yes ma’am, I can sure make that happen. And guess what? She rebooked with me and I held up my end of the bargain! (If a parent leaves you less than 5 apples, replying with a clear, thoughtful and concerned response may even prompt the parent to return and change apple rating! Also, always submit a ticket to VIPKid for a review.)
5. Acknowledge the parents if you see them during your class. Say HELLO to the parents at the beginning of the class. Say GOODBYE and THANK YOU to the parents at the end of the class. Don’t be afraid to speak to the parents. (I usually refer to them as “mom” or “dad”, even if I’m not positive that the adult is a parent of the student.) Acknowledging the adult in the room helps to establish a sense of partnership between you and the family. It fosters rapport and builds trust quickly between you and the family. The parent’s I have interacted with usually smile and respond to me. And think about it, aren’t you more likely to respond positively about a person who cheerfully engages with you vs. a person who chooses not to engage with you at all?
6. Identify at least one thing that you notice and appreciate about the student’s personality and link it to learning. This is one area that took me some time to get the hang of, but I think it’s SO important. This may also naturally lead to GREAT extension opportunities during class.
For example: “I really appreciate NAME’s sense of humor! She laughed when she read the short story about Sarah today. This shows me that she correctly comprehends the humor in the story. EXCELLENT!” or “I enjoyed hearing about the meal that NAME ate today. He told me that he ate rice and vegetables for dinner. I was proud of his ability to use the unit vocabulary in a full sentence! He really enjoys family meal time. Connecting the lesson to his own life makes the vocabulary more relatable and memorable. SUPER!”
In my opinion, this tells the parents that you care for their child and desire to provide an individualized lesson that embraces their personal learning style! BOOM!
7. Note specific areas of language strengths demonstrated by the student in your feedback. Okay, this one may seem obvious… But do not simply recap the class for the parent. They are already aware of the target sentences and the unit vocabulary. Instead, share HOW the student demonstrated progress toward these lesson goals, and WHY this is important. Sometimes the struggles may outweigh the strengths. Look for even the smallest strengths to identify: Did the student pronounce a new word correctly? Did they maintain focus for a whole activity? Did they read a passage with less teacher assistance than usual? Did they demonstrate understanding by circling? MAKE NOTE! If the struggle is ongoing, tell the parent that you are proud of the progress they have made with [insert specific language goal here.] The more specific you are, the more likely the student will be to continue growing in these areas. And, saying something more specific than “the student did well” highlights YOUR ability as a teacher to guide the child to success. Parents will love and appreciate this in you!
8. Note one or two specific areas of language growth needed. Honestly, at first this felt awkward to me! BUT parents REALLY appreciate this! How do I know that they appreciate this? Because they respond to my comments in their parent feedback! (See below.)
I also like to share a "homework" activity that they can do at home to practice a specific skill. For example: I may suggest the student makes flashcards to practice vocabulary words that they are struggling to retain. Or, I may simply ask them to watch the playback of our lesson and repeat the teacher to practice pronunciation of a specific word or letter sound. Or maybe your student needs tips for staying awake during class. (I suggested to have a cold drink of water nearby.) ;)
I also try to express to the parents that the growth area is something that I will address in our next class together in hopes that they will rebook with me! For example: NAME needed reminders to answer in complete sentences. This is okay! I will continue to encourage NAME to answer in complete sentences in every class. With time NAME will grow in her ability and confidence to speak in full sentences.
Remember: The parents are looking to YOU for honest guidance. They will be so grateful for your comments and ideas to further their child’s language growth.
9. Send gifts (e-cards) to your students! What an AWESOME opportunity that VIPKid gives us to reach out to our students. I try to send cards to my students when... >> They successfully pass a final unit assessment. >> I know they have something important coming up (a game, an exam, a trip, etc.). >> I notice that I have not seen them in a while and I want them to remember me (womp, womp). >> It’s a holiday or a birthday. And I ALWAYS send a card in response to a student’s card. (Did you know they use their own tokens to send you cards? If you get one, know that you’re kind of a big deal to your student.)
10. And finally… It is OKAY to ask for parents to leave you feedback. When crafting your request for feedback, be sure you sound appreciative of the family’s opinion and of their time. Here’s an example: Thank you for the opportunity to teach your child today. If NAME enjoyed class, please leave a review or a comment to help me grow as NAME's teacher! Thank you, Teacher Chelsea
Phew! Round of applause for you if you're still reading. Apparently I have a lot of opinions about this topic! I hope some of these ideas were helpful to you. So now, let me know! What are some ways that YOU are winning your students’ and parents’ hearts?!
<3 Teacher Chelsea
Interested in trying Feedback Panda? Use my code: 7EWEE1 or follow this link.
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