TeacherEase

TeacherEase is a great program. The program provides tools for maintaining attendance, making comments, recording and displaying assignments, recording grades, maintaining telephone logs, and sharing all of this with the school community that includes all school staff, parents, and students. Short of maintaining your own computers, this is web-based and it works. As each teacher logs in and looks at specific classes, information about that student in other classes is immediately available. Any comments made about a student on any given day is available for teachers of that student as the day progresses. Parent notes are available instantly to all teachers. In short, so much of the paperwork that bogs us down is managed online in a secure manner and most importantly is available to all as needed.

Last year, three teachers signed up and used the three free accounts for the year. As they were using it, a few other teachers observed it and about midway through the year a few more teachers took advantage of three free months. Eventually, because of the overall positive feelings and results from using the program the school bought the package for the entire school. We had fruitful training sessions because so many teachers were familiar with the product. They sent a representative to continue the training. Administering the program is very simple. I can add new students in minutes as we admit them and the students receive their school accounts. Instantly teachers can add them to their rosters.

We are finding that students who are absent can access their teacher's pages and collect assignments. Parents can monitor their child's progress. The administration can have access to important data when needed with parent or other meetings demanding student data. The use of technology makes the school more efficient and safer. It relieves the teacher of much of the burdensome paperwork that has heretofore bogged them down and stolen time from the students.

TeacherEase is a program you may consider evaluating over the summer in preparation for next year. It is just one more program that is free with the option to purchase. It is also a good use of technology in the classroom and school.