Use Remind from Science Camp!

I have always thought more communication is better in many areas of life. School is one area in which I think clear communication is key to mutual respect and understanding.

Yet there must be a balance between a teacher and a parent or student. I don't think everything that happens at school needs to be communicated directly to parents, but when parents send their sixth graders away for 5 days/4 nights to Science Camp with the teachers, some well-chosen communications from teacher to parent come in handy.

Campfire Night!

No, not the phone call about a major behavior issue or a homesick kid. Just some snapshots of how camp life is going--the positives! This is where the Remind app came in handy for me this year while I was at Science Camp with the students.

Team Building!

I had begun using the Remind app with my soccer team a few seasons back to communicate with them, and this year I encouraged the parents of my sixth graders to sign up for the messaging system. The draw for me with Remind is that phone numbers are not shared. I don't necessarily have a problem if parents know my phone number, but I do appreciate the anonymity of Remind, the respect for privacy it provides.

Kissing a Banana Slug!

Science Camp was a good way to get the parents on board. I thought they would appreciate some information throughout the week since our Science Camp is set up so students do not have contact with their parents the entire time. And Remind now has photo capabilities, so parents could see their kids in action, succeeding through camp activities.

I sat with a different group each meal!

To be honest, parents often stress more than the students do about this big week in their lives. Remind provided a way for them to participate in camp. What parent doesn't want to take part in such a cool experience as Science Camp?! However, in my opinion, it is HUGE to have students conquer a week up at camp without their parents around. With that said, my own oldest child attended camp this year (with me there as his teacher), and I considered for the first time what a parent (my wife) would love to see while she was, well, NOT at camp. I considered for the first time parents feeling left out of their kids' lives.

Single file was standard around the poison oak!

So I brought my iPhone and started snapping pictures of some cool moments, some normal moments. I could remind parents to pray for us as we began our night hike, which includes a solo walk (something which causes anxiety for many kids). I used it to remind parents that their children were well taken care of.

A midday rope swing during Adventure Day!

So I'd like to just thank the folks at @RemindHQ for helping to put many parents at ease throughout our week and for allowing those parents to be involved in Science Camp when they couldn't be there themselves. Thank you!

Thanks Mount Hermon Outdoor Science School!