He has even used it to give information about a school family's catastrophe. Front office phones are still manned by secretaries, and teachers' phones don't ring in their classrooms, but can be used to call out any time. Teachers may contact parents right away with discipline problems or to pass along compliments. A child with an emergency is able to reach his or her parent immediately. The PTA checks its mailbox twice a day, the principal has her personal line, and so do the attendance clerk, the nurse, and others.
Parents know the mail box numbers for their child's teacher.
They dial for homework assignments and teachers leave special messages for their classes. It's definitely something to strive for. If you don't have one, get one.