As an educator, I have had many long nights calling
parents. Sometimes I call multiple
times because I am left without an answer, students or siblings intercepting
the call, or with the message that a parent is busy at work. Other nights I am up thinking about a call
or conference that I had with a parent.
I send home the letters. I
make the calls. How come they were
not aware that their child was struggling in school, missing class, or that
field trip money was due Friday?
The fact of the matter is, paper trails with students never work. Kids lose things. Honestly, I lose things. Also, we can never really be sure that
the person on the other end of the phone really is the parent of our
children. This got me
thinking. I would say to myself,
"there has to be a better way."
Then the idea came to me.
The 21st century has made it possible for new ways to successfully
communicate. Just about everyone
is connected. Parents and students
all have cell phones. Do you know
how many cell phones I have taken away because a student was "checking the
time"? I'm not really sure,
but if I had a nickel for every one, I would have a lot of nickels. At least four bucks. So there I was,
with an idea. An idea for an app
that will help increase parental involvement in schools.
Time went on, and I was still only stuck with an idea. I consider myself some sort of a
techie, but I do not know how to build an app. What was my next step?
How could I get this app created?
It led to more sleepless nights, but I knew a good idea was there, and
determined it would become a reality.
You never know what time will bring. One night, during a random conversation with my
brother-in-law, and fellow Southern NJ resident (Brian Murphy), I spoke about
the idea. He loved it! I saw that his passion was there, and I
know he saw my passion in return.
The following day, he was contacting app developers, making phone calls,
and exploring options for financing.
His hard work caught my attention.
This is really happening!
Over the next few days we had a proposal from an app developer. Our next speed bump was the price tag
that goes along with the many features that our app required in order to be
successful. We don't have that
kind of money, but our determination guided us. There was no way we were stopping now. Over the next month, we scrounged
together as much money as we could, and added some great investors that we will
forever be indebted to. In
addition to the investors, we added fellow educator and South NJ native Michael
Murphy to the team. And that was
that. Our app was being
developed. Each step was amazing. From seeing the design, to adding new
features. It all seemed unreal,
but we never let that lose our focus.
Fast-forward to today, and Teacher App & Grade Book is
now on the Android & Apple
markets, and now in the hands of many teachers, parents, and students. The final product has many amazing
features. Each user has their own
interface. Teachers can quickly
send individual, and/or group messages to parents and students in a matter of
seconds. Teachers have the option
to send pre-set custom messages, or to send personalized messages as well. Teachers can also attach files, monitor
attendance, send events through the interactive calendar, and also add student
grades and quickly send them all to parents. As the parents log in, they can instantly see that they have
a message from a teacher. Parents
and students can view their individual data, and constantly be aware of student
performance, grades, and attendance.
Another great feature is that parents can send official password
protected absence notes straight through the app, which will hopefully decrease
the number of unexcused absences that teachers face every school year.
We are confident that Teacher App & Grade Book will help
keep parents informed, and allow students to take ownership of their academic
performance. It may not be
completely certain exactly what parental involvement is, but we feel that our
app will at least give parents some additional feedback that will help them
understand exactly how their children are doing in school without the possible
surprises at parent teacher conferences.
We hope to see Teacher App & Grade Book by Academically InformED in
the hands of many school districts throughout NJ, and around the world. As a new company, it is hard to get our
name out there, but we are confident that the product will speak for itself if
you check it out. Visit our
website at www.academicallyinformed.com for more information, or download us in
your app store to give us a try.
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