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40 Hour Workweek

Uncategorized   |   Jan 28, 2009

Photos I dream of sending to students’ parents

By Angela Watson

Founder and Writer

Photos I dream of sending to students’ parents

By Angela Watson

My fiancee’s sister is a long-time IEP teacher in the Bronx, and boy did we have a good time exchanging stories over the winter break. She mentioned that she uses her cell phone to take photos of kids misbehaving and sends them to text or email them to parents. With her particular demographic, this works exceedingly well: parents get instant notification (and proof) of what their little darlings did, and the students live in constant fear of their bad behavior being indisputably immortalized for all time. Used with proper judgment (and written permission) this could be an excellent behavior management tool.

Of course, it’s much more fun to imagine the INAPPROPRIATE use of picture mail. Oh, the possibilities are endless for classroom teachers of every grade level…

tantrum-kids

To the parent of the kid in the background:
Your kid is a bully. See what I go through everyday at recess?

To the parent of the kid in the foreground:
This is your child every time he doesn’t get his way, AKA pretty much all day long.

Students Passing Note March 2000

Told you she didn’t know the answers to those test questions. That “F”? Totally justified. Boo-yah!

photo0704200001

Johnny spent fifteen minutes crawling under his desk. “I’m tying my shoe,” he says. Playing Nintendo DS, I say.

ist2_256130_notebook_paper_wrinkled_wide_rule_100_view

Assignment: Page 293, #1-25.
Time Frame: Forty-five minutes.
Your child’s accomplishment: Pictured.

f_littleboykim_616d165

That time I caught your son fondling the Cabbage Patch Kid in the dramatic play area wasn’t just an isolated incident…

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This was your daughter’s response when I asked her to redo a problem she answered incorrectly. Or maybe this was taken after I asked her to get out a pencil. Or maybe when I asked her to stop talking. I’ll have to check the time stamp.

sleeping_student

I’ve saved this pic to my phone. I’ll be resending it to you EVERY. DAY. Or at least on the days that your kid bothers to show up to class.

funnykid

No, this isn’t a photo of your son. This boy lives in Haiti and all his personal belonging were destroyed by a hurricane. Which begs the question: What’s YOUR kid’s excuse for not wearing a belt?

Angela Watson

Founder and Writer

Angela created the first version of this site in 2003, when she was a classroom teacher herself. With 11 years of teaching experience and more than a decade of experience as an instructional coach, Angela oversees and contributes regularly to...
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Discussion


  1. Oh my gosh, those are hilarious!! I love the child with the Barbie!! And I used to use my camera when I taught pre-k. The child with her nap blanket tied around her neck running around like Supergirl – that picture went home. Child scribbling with crayon on the wall – got that too. Pictures don’t lie!

  2. Funny! How cool it would be to send these. I’ve also used my cell to “take” pictures, with the “promise” they were being sent to mom/dad. Worked like a charm!

  3. Oooppsss…you forgot to include: “the explicit photo your child drew for his best female friend.” Oh and, “the painting your child did in the class restroom” Oh yeah, don’t forget, “what your child did with his scissors and his clothing today!”

    Love these!

  4. I use the computer/email thing. I make the kids stand and watch me type up an email to their parent, then read it aloud to them, so they can see that I mean business and I am actually doing it. Had to do it today to one who outright lied to me. Cell phone- interesting idea!

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