Good communication is one of the most important things at Benilde-St. Margaret’s. Ensuring smooth and efficient conversations between students and teachers is what makes this school superior. So the question is, what is the best way to communicate with students and teachers?
BSM recently stopped sending the Daily Bulletin through email. Now the administration only shares the daily news and announcements over the loudspeakers in the morning. This has created some mixed opinions on the communication process within the school. Some students and teachers are questioning the decision and wondering the reason behind this decision. It’s very easy to miss the speaker’s announcement or not clearly hear everything that was said. This can be due to distractions, like daydreaming, multitasking, or using their phone. “A lot of times students don’t listen, especially when they are in classes with their friends and classmates,” learning lab teacher Maureen Miller said.
A lot of times students don’t listen, especially when they are in classes with their friends and classmates
— Maureen Miller
Electronic communication, whether it be by email or text messaging, is the most effective form of communication in modern society. It’s more effective to use digital platforms or individual communication to ensure clear and direct messaging. “I love Gmail. I think it’s a great way for people to get connected and stay connected. I think it’s better than speaker announcements because it stays. After the speaker announcements happen, they disappear and I can’t look back to get the information if I missed the announcement. Email is the best form of communication because it stays forever and you can always look back,” senior Aidan Fisher said.
Another problem with speaker announcements is if students miss a day of school, there is no way for them to get the announcements for that day. With all students receiving a school laptop, BSM can utilize the technology and send a daily email with important information to best communicate with students. “Communication to students via email is really important. Especially coming from teachers that teach a lot of students,” Miller said.
There are some ideas around the school about having more posters or bulletin boards up in hallways that would highlight some of the announcements and important information students should know. This would create more opportunities for better communication between students and administration. Plus, this is a great way to get feedback from staff and students. Written communication is more precise and easily understandable. It creates a permanent record of what is happening. It allows the students to think, act and react to the message. “I think students retain information better when they visually see it, rather than just hearing it,” Miller said.