A Letter to Parents and Caregivers

Whether you’re new to teaching with EFFL or have been doing this for years, it can take some time to convince everyone involved of the validity of this teaching model, especially students and their caregivers! While you may have seen the effectiveness of the lessons in your previous years of teaching, many students and parents are seeing this model for the first time in YOUR class. If this is the case, be prepared for comments such as:

• “My daughter says you’re not teaching them.”
• “My son says you’re not answering their questions.”
• “My child doesn’t learn best this way.”
• “My daughter is an A student and she’s struggling in your class.”

For parents and students who are used to a traditional lecture approach, the EFFL model can feel jarring! Thinking through problems and actively making sense of new ideas is always more challenging than passively receiving information. But we believe the pay-off for student learning is more than worth it. So now, how do you convince parents of that? We’ve got a resource that we think will help!

Letter to Parents and Caregivers

We already have a lesson that we use with students on “Why Won’t Mrs. Gallas Just Give Us Notes?”, and now we also have a resource that you can share with parents that explains the EFFL model in an accessible way. The letter highlights some of the evidence behind why this approach to teaching and learning is effective, without being overly academic or formal. It addresses concerns parents and caregivers may have and clearly outlines what an EFFL classroom looks like and feels like, and how you as the teacher are supporting students’ learning. Download the letter below.

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How to Use the Parent/Caregiver Letter

Here are some suggestions for when and how you might use this resource:

• Email the letter to all parents at the beginning of the school year: we recommend waiting until the second or third week of school, after students have had several EFFL lessons under their belt and have settled into the routine.
• Share the letter with parents at fall conferences: caregivers are often curious about the learning of their students, especially if it is different from what they’re used to. Sharing the letter at conferences provides a space where you can elaborate on the benefits of EFFL and address any concerns.
• Choose two or three of the key ideas from the letter that resonate with you and your choice to use EFFL in your classroom. Jot these down as a reminder for yourself if you ever need a quick explanation when communicating with caregivers.
• Use excerpts of the letter in responses to specific emails from parents, rather than sending it out to all parents.
• Make it your own! We’ve provided an editable version so you can edit, add, delete, or modify any part you would like to share with the parents of your students. You could sign the letter with your name, or add additional information about the specifics of your class.

A Case for Being Proactive

Several of you have reached out about how you can get parents to buy into the EFFL philosophy. That’s ultimately why we created this resource! But we also think there is value in sharing this information with parents before any pushback comes. Being transparent about what frustrations or struggles students might experience in your class and why these are ultimately for their benefit as it relates to their lasting learning.

We hope this resource helps you bring parents and caregivers along as you give students a different experience with mathematics—one where their job isn’t simply to follow someone else’s thinking, but to develop and trust their own.