Partner with Your Child’s Teacher Strategy 20 Partner with Your Child’s Teacher It is imperative that you work together with your child’s teacher. If you do not have a good relationship-there is no benefit to your child. You will not want to go to school and your child’s teacher will not really be excited about meeting with you. A partnership between you and your child’s teacher is a win-win for your child.
Continued Be sure your first interaction with the teacher is positive. If the teacher hasn’t called you-you call the teacher. Tell the teacher how happy your are to be working together and you are here to help. That is a positive deposit in the emotional bank account. Schedule conferences periodically. Talk about where your child is excelling and where your child is struggling. Make a plan to help your child improve.
Continue No matter how upset your are, never, never, ever let your child hear you criticize the teacher. It will diminish the respect your child has for the teacher and may cause even more problems. If possible, volunteer to help in school projects. Let your face be seen and your presence be known around the school.
Continue Continue to be present in your child’s education even as he or she gets older. Do not stop after the third or fourth grade. Your child needs you to advocate for him or her throughout school. Keep informed of how your child is doing academically and behaviorally. Use the electronic system if possible to check on grades weekly.
Continue If your schedule does not permit a conference, email the teacher. Do not wait until it is too late. If your child has special learning needs, attend the meetings and help make the education plan for your child. Do not automatically believe everything your child tells you. Contact the teacher or a school employee for verification.
Reference I hope these strategies have been helpful. They come from: Preparing Children for Success in School and Life 20 Ways to Increase Your Child’s Brain Power. The author is Dr. Marcia Tate. Publisher: Corwin 2011.