Do you feel intimidated when you think of talking to your child’s teacher? What if your child complains about problems with their teacher? Communication between home and school can be challenging. It’s vital for parents to be involved in their child’s development and progress at school. It’s important to address issues like learning difficulties, misbehavior, needing extra support, and children who feel their teachers are being unfair right away.
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Here are some tips to help you communicate and connect with your child’s teacher:
Get to Know the Teacher
Try to introduce yourself and talk to the teacher face-to-face or on a virtual call. If this is not possible, it’s never too late to send an introductory email and offer your support to the teacher. That way if a challenge does arise during the school year the teacher’s first encounter with you isn’t a call about behavior challenges or academic struggles.
Be Involved
One of the best ways to get to know your child’s teacher is to be involved in what is going on in the classroom and school. Different schools and teachers offer various volunteer opportunities to help out. Although this can be difficult, if you don’t have a very flexible schedule, show up and help when you can. Be sure to attend afterschool events like PTO meetings, parent-teacher conferences, vocal and band concerts, etc.
Keep Communication Open and Positive
Teachers welcome questions and concerns and want to be proactive. Most teachers would much rather know about a problem early so that they can deal with it in the best way for all concerned. Your child’s teacher should be open to your questions and suggestions, so don’t be too intimidated to ask.
Keep up with school correspondence. Sign and return notes and permission slips on time. Sending a quick response to the teacher’s requests makes their job just a little easier.
Remember to keep communications positive. If you have concerns or think the teacher has treated your child unfairly, you may reconsider sending off a negative note or email. It might be better to schedule an in-person meeting for more sensitive conversations. And of course, encouraging notes can brighten a teacher’s day.
Try to Understand Both Sides
Teachers have a lot to manage in their classrooms, and with 25 or more students to supervise, sometimes they make mistakes or don’t see every problem. Your child may think something happened in class that wasn’t fair and it’s easy as parents to react emotionally and blame the teacher. But support the teacher as much as possible while you gather information of what happened. Try to help you child see the teacher’s point of view and talk about how people can have differences and still work together to succeed.
Advocate for Your Child
Don’t be afraid to speak up if a problem in your child’s class becomes pervasive. If your child’s grades start to slip, they’re continually unhappy or you suspect your child is being bullied by a classmate, work with the teacher to devise a plan to help.
Make a Change as a Last Resort
Sometimes children have personality conflicts with their teachers. This offers an opportunity for growth if teachers and students can work together in a respectful and productive manner. After all, this is what children will need to do when they grow up. But if problems persist, it may be time to request a change to another class. Discussing your options with a school counselor or administrator may help you navigate a tough year.
Understand That Teachers Are Human
Most teachers are caring individuals who want to make a difference in the lives of the children they teach. Often, they are parents too, and although it’s hard to imagine at one time they were students who lived through awkward growth spurts, problems with peers, lost homework, and braces. They understand what parents and kids are going through, and they strive to build positive connection between school and home.
