TIPS FOR COMMUNICATING WITH TEACHERS

It is common knowledge that when parents are involved in their child's education there are many positive impacts on the child's behavior in school, i.e., better grades, better citizenship and increased enjoyment of school. Parent involvement has many forms, but perhaps the most important is the relationship that is formed between parents and teachers.

Communication forms the foundation in all human relationships and it is there where some parents find it difficult to be involved – they have trouble understanding and being understood by their child's teacher. Education expert, Bruce Hammond has suggested the following title for a book on fixing relationships between parents and teachers: "Teachers Are From Saturn, Parents Are From Jupiter."

The key to getting off on the right foot with your child's teacher may rest in understanding the different ways parents and teachers think about education.

Hammond explains it this way, "While parents worry about what their kids learn, teachers are more concerned with how they learn. While parents see the product, the teachers live the process. Are students working in small groups or discussing as a class?

Often when schools do things that seem "wacky" to parents, it is the issue of HOW vs. WHAT that is at hand. On a more global level, many of today's controversial education initiatives are intended to improve the how of learning such as whole language literacy instruction in elementary grades to block scheduling in middle and high schools. As Hammond points out, "Though knowledge of the learning process is constantly expanding, proof that particular approaches are more effective that others is elusive."

Often new teaching methods are made available or suggested to teachers before results are in from previous methods. Teachers, like any other group of professionals, range in how new methods are accepted, some being eager to try the latest, others are resistant to any new proposal, hanging on to what they've become comfortable using.

Parents can offer teachers an important reality check, but need to bear in mind the complexity of meeting the educational needs of a class full of kids. The following are a few tips to foster positive relationships between parents and teachers:

Make Your First Interaction Positive

Greet your child's teacher with a warm "hello" and a kind word on Open House night. If a concern develops later in the year, the teacher is more likely to be receptive to listening and understanding your point of view.

Get The Facts

Even the most trustworthy child sometimes distorts or garbles important information. Parents and teachers who know different parts of the same story can often resolve issues with an exchange of information.

Don't Go Over Their Heads

Nothing puts a teacher on the defensive faster than learning about a parental complaint about their class from the principal. Talk to the teacher first, then go to the principal if you are not heard out by the teacher or are not satisfied with the discussion.

Remember, Most Teachers Are Sensitive

Teaching is an intensely personal job – teachers are people who are paid to care about the thoughts and feelings of others. Tact is likely to be more important than if you were talking to, say, a tax accountant.

Finally...

Effective teachers welcome dialogue with parents because it gives them a better understanding of their students. Parents have the right to expect periodic updates from teachers and timely notification of academic problems. Remember: In the parent-teacher relationship, like most others, communication is the key.