LET US BE GRATEFUL. XU Senior High School assistant principal for formation Rogelio A Lee Jr shares his insights on gratitude as he welcomes the class moderators of Grade 11 on August 31. Photo by Mercylyn L Tanog.
Moderators of the senior high school classes of Xavier University drew together in a workshop to enhance their communication skills when dealing with parents, in the preparation for the forthcoming parents-teachers conference.
Held on August 31 at the XU-AVR1, the workshop featured simulations on how to face a parent appropriately, including the proper statements, expressions, and gestures to use.
XUSHS head moderator Paolo R Galupo echoed the paper of Professor Susan Graham-Clay titled “Communicating with Parents: Strategies for Teachers” which underscores proactive partnership between parents and teachers as vital to the student’s learning process.
“Parents-teachers conference is not all about the losses of the child; rather it focuses more on the gains,” said Galupo, who is also a faculty member of the Filipino Department of the College of Arts and Sciences.
He reiterated: “A great teacher maintains open communication with parents and keeps them informed of what is going on in the classroom as far as about the curriculum, discipline, and other issues. Teachers must make themselves available for phone calls, meetings, and email.”
The office of the head moderator is responsible for building capacities and addressing various concerns of Xavier’s 34 Grade 11 moderators.
PROACTIVE PTC. XU Senior High School High guidance counselor Mercylyn L Tanog RGC facilitates the first workshop for the class moderators on proactive parents-teacher conference and highlights the role of moderators as partners in learning.
Another component of the workshop was a refresher on the importance of following the proper protocol in one-way and two-way communication with parents, such as in giving student assessment or progress report and attending to their concerns.
The workshop included role-playing activities where in a group, the moderators acted as teachers, parents, and other parties in a PTC scenario. After their presentation, another group assessed the latter's performance and suggested ways on how to improve dealing with one another. The discussion also roped in the different communication strategies the moderators can use to avoid an unpleasant PTC scenario.
“Establishing a strong working relationship among teachers, administrators, and parents is the key for a proactive PTC,” said Galupo, quoting Graham-Clays.
XUSHS assistant principal for formation Rogelio Lee said that cultivating the parents-teachers relationship is pivotal in the delivery of quality education of academic institutions. “As moderators, we are entrusted to take care of these young people. Let us remember and instil the Jesuit principle of cura personalis (care for others) to sustain our quality toward commitment.”
The second Xavier Senior High School parents-teachers conference for this academic year is slated on Saturday, September 10 at the XU-AVR1. ∎