Back to School
Partners
Your child and their teacher
Communication is a vital first step toward a great relationship with your child’s teacher Story by Faith Gealey
O
ne of the most daunting things for both parents and children is the First Day of School. After a full year with a teacher your child knows and loves, your child now has to get used to a brand new person. As a parent, there are a thousand questions swimming around in your head. Will this teacher be patient with my child? Will they be able to teach my child effectively? Will I mesh well with his or her personality? How will my child manage in this new class? How will my child manage with the new curriculum and academic expectations? The list of questions may be even longer if your child has unique learning needs. Teachers will also have the same reservations about their new class, their new “kids” and yes, even their new parents. This is a process that every parent, child and teacher goes through every year. It is a normal part of the academic process. Teachers have a significant amount of influence on your child’s life, particularly during the year that they are in his or her classroom.
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Let your child’s teacher know that you want to be considered a partner in your child’s education. Talk to them about extending the learning process at home, and ways that you can support in class assignments and work at home. Is your child struggling with assignments? Discuss ways that you can provide remediation at home. Is your child finding the work too easy? Talk with your child’s teacher about ways you can take home-based assignments to the next level and provide your child with a bigger challenge. You may notice some difficulties at home that are related to situations in your child’s life that your child’s teacher may not be aware of. Should any changes at home (such as the death of a pet or family member, moving to a new neighbourhood etc.) or changes in the family dynamic (such as problems between family members, separation or divorce etc.) occur, you should speak to your child’s teacher. Children have a difficult time putting their emotions into words, and it is not unusual for a child to have academic or behavioural difficulties when going through stressful time periods. By making your
teacher is aware of these changes, he or she can make accommodations for your child and take the child’s emotional well being into consideration during classroom assignments. Alternatively, your child’s teacher may bring concerns to you regarding your child’s performance at school (this can be either inside or outside of the classroom). Be open and objective when your child’s teacher brings concerns to you. It is natural as a parent to come to your child’s defense and deflect any areas of concern. Very often parents want to attribute these difficulties or changes to poor choices in friends, or poor teaching skills. However, it could be something as simple as needing extra support at home with reading or reinforcing a certain strategy that can make the difference for your child academically. Your child’s teacher may not feel comfortable expressing his or her honest opinion about your child’s performance in school if he or she feels that you are a parent who is going to lose their cool, or be in denial.
Special needs Should your child have any special needs, or learning difficulties be sure to mention what they are and the interventions you
have in place at the beginning of the school year. If your child’s teacher is unaware of the disorder, or needs more support, most therapists working with your child will gladly provide PowerPoint presentations or attend meetings with your child’s teacher to discuss your child’s learning needs and how they can best be supported in the classroom. Another way to maintain a great relationship with your child’s teacher is to get involved. Teachers are always very busy, and if you have the ability to volunteer a few times a year to assist your child’s teacher with major projects, catching up on photo copying or even chaperoning field trips, it can help ease the burden on your child’s teacher. Getting involved in the Home School Association is also a great way to give back to your child’s school and making sure that your child is aware that you have an active presence on his or her school campus. As a parent, you know your child best. You are your child’s biggest advocate and best supporter. By maintaining open, frequent and effective communication with your child’s teacher you set the framework for a close parent-teacher partnership and in turn, work towards ensuring your child’s academic success for the upcoming school year. CP
For this reason, having a harmonious parent-teacher relationship is vital to ensuring your child’s academic success for the next school year. By incorporating the following strategies, you can ensure that both you and your child’s teacher are starting the school year off on the right foot.
Communication At the beginning of the school year, meet with your child’s teacher to start opening the lines of communication. Should you not be able to physically meet with their teacher, book a telephone call. Alternatively, you can begin an e-mail dialogue between the teacher and yourself. We all have busy schedules, but teachers’ schedules are extremely limiting, particularly in the primary years so try to be as flexible as possible with the times your child’s teacher has to meet with you. By starting an open dialogue with your child’s teacher from the beginning of the school year, you make it easier for your child’s teacher to reach out to you and discuss your child’s academic progress.
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