One of DD's teachers rang me ...

[RedskyBynight]

... and I immediately thought "what has she done?" (or actually "what has she not done that she should have done?").

The teacher was ringing to tell me how well DD was doing and how impressed she was with the standard of her work. And I'm so pleased she took the time to do so. And I do feel bad for jumping to the wrong conclusions. Although, in fairness, when I told DD that her teacher had called, she instantly said "Am I in trouble?".

Am I the only one that thinks school phone call are bad news!?

Nope, I got phone from school the other and thought bad news.
They were phoning about my new start.

I think most people do, to the extent that when either of my children's schools call me, the first thing they say is "don't worry, it's nothing bad!" so they must be used to the reaction!

No, you're not the only one. When my eldest was at school I got regular calls to say they weren't coping, or that they needed to have a word with me, or I'd be summoned to go & fetch them.

I got a call one day about my youngest. I was on a train & there was half an hour until the next stop. In the time it took for the teacher to say, "Hello Mrs. Orchid, I'm calling about Smallest Orchid," I'd assumed there was a problem & hatched a plan to get the next train home again. It was an utter surprise to be told the call was about something positive. I probably wasn't as chirpy as I could've been because of the surprise, & the teacher must've thought I was odd.

It's nice to get positive feedback though. Is it a fairly recent thing? I don't remember my parents getting phone calls from teachers, although maybe I was just too middle-of-the-road for one?

I’ve been doing welfare calls and. No, you’re not alone. Most parents are pleased that we’re keeping the contact up. Quite a few really just wanted a chat. (At least 2 said they don’t speak to anyone apart from their child, so I was happy to do that.)

There never was anything positive about them, but they were 99% supportive, engaged and concerned.

@PatriciaHolm yep I'm a teacher and I always lead with that ... hi it's X's teacher, DON'T WORRY NOTHING BAD

When making positive calls I've once or twice had parents respond "are you sure you have the right child"!

If it helps, the same is true for teachers when the head walks in for a chat - she now starts each conversation with "relax you're not in trouble"

I am a high-school teacher and I have always tried to make as many calls as I can home, 90% of the time to praise. The amount of times I can tell that the parent is expecting some bad news or criticism is huge!

DS' preschool manager phoned me the other day to ask if they could change one of his sessions, and she opened with, "hi, it's X from DS' Preschool - don't worry, we haven't had a case and we're not closing!"

I was so grateful for that! If DD's school called I'd probably feel worried first, too.

I am a teacher and start every single call with the words “don’t worry, everything is fine” because even if I’m calling about an issue, everything really is fine in the grand scheme of things.

Yes because I've never had a positive phone call. I only get calls when SEN ds1 has done something bad or when ds2 has hit his head (a lot, surprisingly!)

Phone call from school will send the fear of Christ into most parents
One school used to say Hi its x from school DC is fine just wanted to let you know blah blah