Be confident and have everything you need to say prepared. Some of the parents will try and defend their kids behaviour – you need to be firm with them. Write down all that is said and discuss it with your principal if need be. Good luck

Just make sure you have all your ducks in a row before you call. Perhaps have notes citing specific examples of what they have been doing. Be as specific as possible. And make it out of your hands (policy dictates that the next step is administration and you don’t want that for her).

And DO NOT call with a “tattle-tale” attitude – make it almost as you are asking the parents for their help. It puts them more at ease. Starting with a compliment is a great idea.

(“Gina is really smart, but she could contribute a lot more in class if she was less disruptive. My next step, per school policy, will have to be to get administration involved. Can you help me prevent that. She is too smart to be in trouble at the office. Some of the things I”m seeing is…..).

A lot of parents will at least act supportive, but some parents may ask “what do you expect me to do about it” at which you need to have a good answer, but that is not defensive. Have a plan in mind or suggestion.

And I made it clear to my students that if I had to call home about one thing, I was going to share EVERYTHING.

You can hope that the parents will step up and put an end to things, but don’t expect it.

Good luck.

“I’m quite fond of your daughter, but….”

“Your daughter has such great potential, but….”

“I need your help with something here at school…”

Always start on a positive note.