12 February 2016

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Parent:

My name is Mr. Edwards, and I am pleased to introduce myself as your son/daughter's
_______________________ history/government teacher for the 2016-2017 school year. I want to take
this opportunity to thank you for affording me this chance to speak to you and for taking a few minutes
out of your busy schedule to read this letter. I am extremely excited and very optimistic about this
coming year and look forward to teaching your child to the utmost best of my ability. Originally from
southern California, I am a graduate from Whittier College with a B.A. in Political Science and minor in
History. This is my first year teaching in this district and am very pleased to be here at your son's school.
This year, your son is in my US History class; which I hope will prove to be very informative and exciting.
We will cover a time period ranging from the events that led up to the American Revolution, to modern
time; a span of roughly 250 years. Our trip through time will cover events such as: America's cessation
from Great Britain, the effects of slavery, the civil war, the revolution of Texas, the age of prohibition,
women's suffrage, the Apollo moon landings, and many others. We will also learn about several key
historical figures such as: US presidents Washington, Lincoln, and the Roosevelt's; Titans of Industry like
Andrew Carnegie, John Rockefeller, and Henry Ford; and last but not least, Freedom fighters that
ushered in great social change like: Susan B. Anthony, Frederick Douglass, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and
Cesar Chavez.
Academically, our main focus as a class will be to master our understanding of the material we cover in
preparation for the state of Texas standardized test at the end of the school term. On a grander scale,
our class mission will be to build a community within our class as well as developing lifelong lessons and
skills that will serve your child for years to come.
One of the most common questions parents and students will have is about homework and other
assignments. You and your son can expect to see homework assigned on a nightly basis. I realize that
your son will have homework from other classes, and it is because of this that our class homework;
which may take the form of reading, answering questions, or studying, is designed to take approximately
20-30 minutes a night. Each student will be given a weekly homework schedule that will be placed in
their binder; they will also be expected to write down the daily homework assignment in their school
planner at the beginning of class each day.
I welcome you and your son to visit our class website frequently. Here, you will find a copy of our weekly
homework schedule, class material list, and our class syllabus outlining our learning plan and dates for
things such as tests and research papers. There will also be PDF copies of homework assignments, and
handouts to avoid missing homework assignments.
I fully welcome you to join our class at any time. For questions or comments, you may call me at school
at: (555)555-5555, or email me at any time: email@schoolemail.edu. I have office hours for conferences
Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 1500-1600. If these times do not compliment your schedule,
please contact me and we will schedule a more convenient time.
I very much look forward to working with all my students this year; and look forward to meeting and
speaking with you to collaboratively help your son succeed.
Most Respectfully,

Mr. Nicholas Edwards