Today I am adding another article to my Tips for Teachers section. I think that it is very important for teachers to learn from the mistakes of other teachers.
My tip today is about paper work and noting keeping. It is very important to create a file for each child in your classroom. You can then add all of the notes from and to parents to the file. I keep all notes that are sent to me from parents no matter how simple or small they may seem.
This I am thankful for doing. Last year I had a parent send me a note stating that her son would begin riding the bus every Monday and Friday. On all other days of the week he would be a car rider.
It just so happened that I was out that Wednesday. However remembering her note, I was certain to make a special note to the substitute to make sure that her son would be a car rider that day since it was Wednesday and not Monday or Friday.
I returned to school on Thursday to an angry principal and parent. The boy had gotten in car rider line and not rode the bus as I had understood he was supposed to do. The mother was very upset with me because she had to come and pick him up from school. The principal was upset with me because he had an angry parent on his hands. The mother insisted to the principal that she had sent me a note stating that her son was to ride the bus on Mondays and Wednesdays. Lucky, I had the note. I pulled it out and proved her wrong.
She quickly stated that she had made a mistake when writing the note and her attitude changed greatly. Had I not had the note the case would have been simply her word against mine.
Merit Pay and Special Education