​​​​Jason Wakeman​

Professional Communication

with Students and Peers

My fourth quarter substitute position was a chance for me to take the lead in planning and teaching in the classroom, but it was also an opportunity to take responsibility for things going on outside my classroom as well. 

During fourth quarter, I took responsibility for communicating with my students' parents. In the gallery on the top right you will find an email correspondence between the parents of one of my sophomores, the sophomore's study skills teacher, and me. This particular student struggled with some of the content in our English class and wasn't always upfront with his study skills teacher or his parents about his struggle. Because of this, his study skills teacher and I made an effort to meet on a roughly bi-weekly basis to discuss his process. When it seemed necessary we would also involve his parents through email to ensure that they were in the loop as well. 

In general, I like to reach out to both student and parents whenever I notice any major concerns: absences during major projects, significant changes in grades, and so on. This way issues can be addressed before they grow out of control. 

In the same gallery, you will also find a correspondence between me and two faculty members involved in overseeing the summit. As I mentioned while discussing the summit, substituting for AVID11 gave me the opportunity to work with many faculty members. The experience gave me a lot of insight into how much logistical work is involved in administration as well as the importance of clear, open communication. In the linked correspondence, we discuss the actual scheduling and placement of our 84 student presentations--no small feat. 

As important as communicating with parents and peers is as a teacher, if we don't involve students in these professional conversations, I think we miss out on a significant learning opportunity. This is why I generally try to involve students in any conversation I have with their parents, but there are many other opportunities as well. In the gallery on the bottom right you will find a correspondence between one of my AVID students and several Vyykn representatives. Vyykn was one of our sponsors for the event and planned to install one of their water systems in our school, taking the lead in communicating with the company was a huge responsibility, but our student exceeded all of my expectations, acting proactively and with genuine professionalism. It required a little coaching and advice from Mrs. Daley and myself, but I think it was an excellent opportunity for him to develop strong communication skills and the confidence to interact with his seniors rather than just his peers. 

Correspondences with 

Parents and Peers:

Danielson Framework, Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities

4c Communicating with Families

4d Participating in the Professional Community

4e Growing and Developing Professionally

4f Showing Professionalism