Celebrating small victories within the educational milieu serves as a fundamental mechanism for fostering a positive classroom culture. In this discourse, Mr. Funky Teacher, Nicholas Kleve, elucidates the significance of recognizing and commemorating these minor triumphs, which collectively contribute to an uplifting and supportive learning environment. Through the lens of encouragement and motivation, we explore methodologies that empower both educators and students alike, ultimately enhancing the overall classroom experience. By cultivating an atmosphere where small wins are duly acknowledged, we not only bolster student morale but also invigorate teacher enthusiasm. Join us as we delve into the intricate dynamics of celebrating student achievements and the profound impact this practice has on educational success.

The episode presents a profound exploration into the art of recognizing and celebrating small wins within the educational sphere, a practice that Mr. Funky Teacher, Nicholas Kleve, argues is essential for building a constructive classroom culture. He delves into the psychological and social implications of such celebrations, illustrating how they can foster a sense of belonging and achievement among students. Mr. Kleve shares various anecdotes and strategies that demonstrate the efficacy of celebrating small milestones—such as a student overcoming a personal challenge or displaying newfound confidence in participating—thereby contributing to a more inclusive and supportive learning environment. He emphasizes that these celebrations not only empower students but also serve to rejuvenate and motivate teachers, creating a reciprocal system of encouragement and engagement. Moreover, the episode touches upon the importance of consistency and creativity in how these celebrations are executed, urging educators to remain vigilant and proactive in recognizing student efforts. By fostering a culture that values small wins, educators can significantly enhance student motivation and engagement, leading to a more dynamic and positive classroom atmosphere that ultimately benefits all stakeholders involved.

Takeaways:

• Recognizing and celebrating small wins fosters a positive classroom culture and enhances student motivation.
• Teacher encouragement plays a pivotal role in building a supportive environment for students to thrive academically and socially.
• Establishing strong relationships between teachers and students is essential for cultivating a sense of belonging in the classroom.
• Implementing strategies to highlight student achievements can significantly boost overall classroom morale and engagement.

Links referenced in this episode:

• beafunkYTEACHER.com

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Be a Funky Teacher

Yeah, he's Mr. Funky.

He's Mr. Funky Teacher.

Mr. Funky Teacher inspires greatness, makes you feel good.

Like your favorite playlist.

Keeping that fresh and funky.

Yes, he does.

He got some funky cool ideas to share for all you teachers.

He can empower others, students and teachers.

It's all about hard work and creativity.

He brings out the kindness in everyone.

He's got the passion to teach.

You hear it when he speaks.

He knows how to build strong relationships.

If you're seeking the best bunkiest, he is it.

He will empower you to improve.

You'll be helping others and loving it too.

He's Mr. Funky Teacher.

Yeah, he's Mr. Funky Teacher.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

This is Mr. Funky Teacher with Be a Funky Teacher dot com.

I'm coming to you with another Be a Funky Teacher podcast.

Today's episode is about teacher tips for parent phone calls.

Handling ongoing misbehavior constructively.

That's what we're going to be focusing on.

But first, let's talk about three things I'm thankful for.

The first thing, my kind children.

My kind children have such kind hearts.

And their kind hearts remind me why I. I do the work with children, why I love working with children because of my the inspiration of my own children and how much kindness they show to others.

And it also, I'm just thinking it's a pleasure to parent them.

Number two, supplemental resources.

These little extras can save planning time and they can keep lessons fresh.

And so I'm thankful for supplemental resources that we can bring into our classroom when needed.

Third thing, air conditioning.

That works.

Because teaching in a hot classroom is a whole different challenge.

I am not that I did.

I'd rather have a classroom be a little bit chillier than hot than too hot or like humid.

Oh, there's this.

So I'm thankful for an air conditioning is working.

All right, let's get into the main part of this episode here.

Talking about those parrot phone calls that we have to make sometimes.

We do have to make parent phone calls sometimes.

So first off, let's talk about why parent phone calls matter.

Well, it's hard.

Hard calls that we face can build trust if they're done right.

They absolutely can't.

Parents need to hear about issues before they explode into mega issues.

Parents need to hear about challenges we're facing if things aren't going right.

It's not about blaming, though.

Don't hear what I'm saying here.

We have to be really careful to not turn a parent phone call to one of the parents or the adults.

Of our students.

We don't want to turn it into where we're just blaming.

It's about really more about partnership.

So when I'm talking about parents, I'm talking about whoever the guardian is of that child.

It might be a mom or a dad or it might be a grandma or grandpa or, or aunt, uncle or foster parent.

It just depends.

It depends on the circumstances of that child.

And so if we think about it in terms of that is a partnership and that we're a team, that's going to help us from the get go with kind of getting our mind right around the value in this parent phone call or this adult phone call home.

So the next thing to think about is how do you structure this phone call?

If you, if you have an issue you have to address or something that's been going on in your classroom with, with one of your students and you have to make a phone call home, how do you, how do you structure that?

What does that look like?

Well, let me give you a few strategies or a few steps rather, for how to structure it.

First off, start positive.

Try to lead with something specific that you appreciate about the child.

Be specific, not general, like I really like your child or I'm really glad your child is in my classroom.

Let's get a little bit more specific than that.

So try to start positive.

That that's an important thing is starting on a positive note.

And then the second step, step two, state your concern clearly, y'.

All.

You got to focus on facts.

Like for the past week your child has been in six.

Start it like that as opposed to saying something like they're always and then finish the sentence.

We have to think about how we word things.

And because if we're, if we're speaking in absolutes like always or never, that's parents are parents and adults who take care of the children are.

Aren't going to receive that well.

So try to be very clear.

In fact, I would recommend even writing down some notes ahead of time so you.

So some key things like, hey, like these three things are going on in the classroom with very clear facts with examples.

So it helps keep you kind of organized.

So if you get a little nervous talking on a phone or get a little flustered, you can keep focused on what you're doing here.

But also make sure you write down a really clear, specific, positive example too of about the child too something that you appreciate about the child.

So step one was say talk about something specific you appreciate about the child.

Step two is state your concerns extremely clearly.

The third thing, share the impact.

Explain how that behavior is affecting the learning environment, the classroom.

Talk about how it's, maybe it's distracting students, maybe it's harming another student.

Whatever that is, please share the impact.

Parents need to know this now.

The fourth step, I would say, I'm just thinking the fourth step is to invite the parents perspective.

Ask if they're noticing similar, similar things at home or, or if this, this has been an issue in past years.

And maybe you know that answer already, but you want to get that dialogue going.

You want to get that the, the, the, the parent or the adult just kind of talking with you where, where they can share their perspective.

Where this is not you all talking and then listening.

You want to get them talking and letting them.

And that's that you can really dig into letting them feel like a partner with you.

Then as long as you're not doing all the talking and they're doing all the listening, you want to get them, you want to make it where they feel valued because they do.

An adult is a, is a valuable part of the team.

The teaching team includes the parents or the adult caretakers.

And so we have to get their perspective.

We also have to talk about if they're seeing things at home also or if they've never do it at home.

Just kind of get that collaborative talking going and then, and then a positive note.

Try to end on a positive note where you reaffirm your commitment to, to helping the child succeed, that you're there for their child.

You're there to help them be successful.

You want them to be successful and you're gonna work hard for them to be successful.

Reiterate that with the family.

So you hear that.

Reiterate that tomorrow's a new day and that you look forward to working with their child.

Parents want to hear that.

So important to be authentic.

As you're having this conversation though, with, with parents and caretakers.

Let's talk a couple do's and don'ts for the call.

Several do's and don'ts.

Do.

Stay calm, factual and professional.

You gotta stay calm.

Sometimes you might hear something that a parent that.

You might hear something from a parent that, that you don't like.

Gotta stay calm.

Or you might get pushback from a parent.

You gotta stay calm.

Gotta stay calm.

Gotta stay factual.

Gotta stay professional.

I avoid trying to get into arguments with parents.

Try to keep that phone call constructive and not, not get into a, into an argument, y'.

All.

And then dud.

I, I would, I would say too like if you have to make a phone call, if, if the topic of other children come up, avoid talking about other children in the class, especially by name.

You legally.

Now, I'm not giving legal advice, but I know the laws and the laws state that you can't, you can be going off talking about other children and their behavior or their success or challenges with another adult that is not their guardians.

You can't, you, I mean, you can get yourself into some, some hot water by doing that.

And so I would just stay clear of that income.

Right on.

And say, I, I can't discuss other children with you.

So that's not legal advice.

That's just me knowing that that's, that's a no, no as an educator.

So, so try to steer clear of that.

Do document the call afterwards.

Take some notes about the, about when, the, the day you called, the time you called, the.

How did the conversation go.

But the next thing is, don't attack the student or the parent during the call.

Don't attack them.

Don't attack the kid or the parent because that's not going to turn out good for you.

That's not going to turn, not going to build a partnership with you and the families.

And then here's another.

Don't, I'm not big on, don't do this, don't do that.

But this is a big deal.

Don't unload everything all at once.

If you go into a phone call and you just dump everything out, if you say one, hey, one meaningful thing that you value about the child, and then you start unloading about the child, what parent wants to hear that?

So I would focus on a few key things without just dumping on a parent everything that you're noticing that can be overwhelming.

Have some stuff written down, have those notes down and maybe, and then share a few key things that you're seeing that are most critical and then, you know, focus on the main concern or the main concerns, one or two concerns, and go from there.

So I would recommend being very careful of just unloading because that's not going to work as tough.

I want to encourage you also to reflect, to have a reflection on your call.

And I wanted to take a moment to encourage you too, because as tough as these phone calls are, these calls show parents that you care enough to reach out.

I'm not a, I don't, I, I don't get very thrilled about phone calls, but usually afterwards, if you do them right, if you structure them right after a parent phone call, you can say, you know what, that was good.

That was worth it.

I think we got somewhere.

And you build that partnership and hopefully, hopefully you and that parent can, as a team, address maybe some things that are happening in the classroom that aren't so good that can be addressed and conversations can be had at home with the child.

That's not always the case, though.

You, you, we, we may sometimes experience parents that say they're gonna do something and then don't have your back or don't, or won't, or won't address a behavior and, and you can't.

But it sure is important enough to try.

The goal isn't punishment here.

The goal isn't to try to get the kids in trouble at home.

It isn't.

We have to have that mentality that it's not about punishment.

It's about teamwork to help the student grow and succeed in our classrooms.

It can't be about punishment, y'.

All.

It can't be.

I do think that overtime parents appreciate honest honesty paired with hope.

Honesty with hope.

What parent wants hope?

I think most parents want hope that hey, their child can be successful in your classroom and that you want their child.

The child in the classroom will also match with some honesty.

We have to remember that there's no such thing as a perfect child.

There's no such thing as a perfect parent.

There's no such thing as a parent, perfect teacher.

We have to admit that too.

We do.

So just thinking here, parent phone calls about misbehavior can be nerve wracking, but with the right structure, they can be actually, they can actually strengthen relationships.

Remember, stay positive, stay focused and keep the child at the center of the conversation.

That's what I would say that that's, that's how I think you'll experience success when making these phone calls home when they're needed.

Well, that's all I have today for this episode.

Remember to inspire greatness in young people and don't forget to be a funky teacher.

Bye now.

He's Mr. Funky teacher, yeah.

He's Mr. Funky teacher, yeah.