7 Tips For Using Chat Groups With Other Parents

Nowadays, it is becoming more common for parents to use social media and chat groups to keep in touch with other parents from their children’s school.

But there have probably been times when you did not even want to read through all your unread messages. Therefore, we want to offer some advice to make these chat groups more effective.

Take advantage of chat groups for parents

Chat groups with parents from your children’s school can be useful for several reasons. For example:

• They keep the  communication open with other parents
• They keep you updated on news from the school
• They can help your children with their homework if they get stuck somewhere
• They can help your children plan and carry out group work and collaborations
• You can share relevant information with all team members at the same time
• You can raise questions about study trips, lost objects, etc.

Do not abuse the benefits of chat groups for parents

It is very simple and practical to use parent chat groups to ask what homework your children have or what your children are doing, e.g. math lessons. But this is not meant to be of benefit to your child, but to you.

Of course, if your son or daughter misses a day at school, this is a practical way to help him or her catch up. But you should not make it a habit.

Teach your children to take responsibility for their own homework. They should write down all the homework on their own. It should be an exception to ask other parents what is happening in class.

This gives the message to your children that they need to be attentive in the classroom instead of being distracted and expecting you to keep track of everything for them.

Avoid writing about unimportant things in chat groups

Do not engage in conversations about third parties, especially if they do not belong to your chat group. If someone else is doing it, be sure to tactfully point out that this is not the place to go.

Avoid being aggressive or judgmental. Help set the right tone in the chat and you will surely see that other parents feel the same way as you.

Gossip can give rise to all sorts of misunderstandings. It is best to hold back and not comment on other people. Follow these tips and you will soon see that the mood in your groups will improve a little at a time.

Use common sense

Here are some more things to keep in mind:

• Refrain from sending messages, jokes, videos and pictures that have nothing to do with the group’s topic. Such things only weaken the purpose of the group, which is to keep parents informed about and involved in the school.
• Send messages at reasonable times: Avoid sending messages around lunch and dinner time, as well as late in the evening or early in the morning. You may only send messages in the evening in an emergency.
• If anyone asks about the math lesson, do not send with the English words and assignments in history as well. Also, make sure that no one else has already answered before answering yourself. Repeated answers to the same question can be quite disturbing.
• Avoid sending photos, audio files, and other large files unless needed. Depending on which media platform you use (whatsapp, facebook, groupme, etc), these files can take up memory on the recipient’s phone.

• Send a private message when appropriate. If your question concerns a specific parent, you do not need to send it to everyone in the group. Similarly, if a parent asks for babysitting recommendations, you can respond directly rather than to the whole group.

Respect others

Do not show private information about others and do not speak ill of them. Also, do not talk bad about the staff at your children’s school or, even less, other students there.

If you have a problem with a teacher or someone else at school, it is always best to address the issue directly with the person in question. If you have a problem with a student, talk privately with his or her parent or with someone at school. Avoid creating conflicts or controversies within the chat group.

Chat groups for parents are important to facilitate communication, not to vent their dissatisfaction. There is no better way to resolve a conflict than face to face.

Be short and concise

Stick to the topic and write briefly and concisely in your messages. Keep the number of details to a minimum.

Give a clear idea of ​​what you are trying to say without repeating or going too deep into it. For example, “I have to buy thermal pants in size 128. If anyone has a pair for sale, send me a private message.”

When it’s best to leave a chat group

There are times when it is best to leave a chat group. For example:

• The number of messages is too large and overwhelming. You will be stressed by reading all the messages.
• The phone memory is constantly replenished  and you often need to empty the memory.

• You think the group has more disadvantages than advantages.

There is no point in sitting glued to your phone all day and reading messages that do nothing to improve communication between parents. You can also suggest that interested parents create another group where they can chat freely about issues that do not stick to the topic.