How can I use Mote for Gmail to improve communication with student parents and guardians?

Connecting with Adults: Mote for Gmail

When it comes to student success, communication is key. Teachers communicate through body language, vocal feedback, written feedback, tone of voice, nuance of language-- even through Zoom or Google Meets! Students need teachers' encouragement, constructive criticism, and guidance to grow as learners. 

Students also need to hear from the adults in their lives-- the parents, guardians, and family members who support them. Yet as students grow older, communication between teachers and parents often diminishes. Students seek independence and educators struggle with a workload that often leaves little time to reach out to guardians and family members.

Thankfully, Mote for Gmail can help bridge the growing gap between educators and families. Here are five teacher tips for increasing parental communication:

Tip 1: Introduce yourself

It’s rare that every guardian can attend an in-person back-to-school event. Recording a mote comment in Gmail takes seconds. Say a short hello, share your contact information, and express how excited you are to be working with your students.

Tip 2: Explain what you did in class that week

How does a child respond when asked what she did that day? If you thought of the words “nothing,” “not much,” or “I don’t know,” then you are most likely a parent or someone who works with children. Providing parents with a short insight into what their child has learned, created, or participated in that week by recording a mote in Gmail is a great way to engage with families. Recording a mote comment takes no longer than 90 seconds, and this tiny bit of time means much to families.

Tip 3: Share a positive moment

It’s easy for families to grow overwhelmed with grades, report card comments, and assessment scores. One way to refocus attention on student progress is to highlight those positive moments that occur in every period: when a struggling reader volunteers to read aloud, a shy student defends his friend against a mean comment, or a student surprises everyone with a particularly insightful response. Use mote for mail to capture and convey meaningful moments to those for whom it means the most.

Tip 4: Update on student progress

We’ve all misinterpreted a typed message-- whether it’s a text, email, or snail-mailed letter. Mote decreases the chance of miscommunication about student progress because it captures the nuances of spoken language, the emotion of your voice, and the clarity of your words. Consider recording a comment in mote for Gmail and sending personalized messages to guardians about how their child is progressing in class. Often, hearing how much you care prompts parents to offer you the support you need to help their child learn.

Tip 5: Student record message about what they learned

Not every child is comfortable recording his or her voice. Those that are, however, might be eager to share a special greeting with their guardians. Parents might also be eager to listen to a snippet of their child’s speech, poem, essay, or speech. Building student speaking skills while connecting with families is a great way to engage and boost communication with the adults in your students’ lives.

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Have you used mote for mail to communicate with parents and guardians? Share how you used mote by posting a comment below.

Learn how Mote for Gmail works by watching this video walkthrough: