How To Best Communicate With Your Child’s School
Communication is key to a successful educational experience for your child.
If you are a parent of a child in school, you know that communication is key to a successful educational experience. Knowing that the administrators, teachers and staff at your child’s school are your partners in moving your child forward educationally is very important. The students who are the most successful have a team of individuals supporting them and that must include the school staff as a part of that team. Here are a few considerations for the best ways to communicate with your child’s schools.
Establish clear communication from the beginning of the school year.
Meet with your child’s teacher or teachers at the beginning of the year to introduce yourself and to get to know your child’s educators. This could happen at the school’s Back to School Night or Sneak A Peek Night. If your child’s school doesn’t have a night such as this an email would suffice as well. When you meet with them or communicate with them for the first time it is important that you let your child’s teachers know that you are here to partner with them and that they have your support. It is also important that you tell them that you are open to communication and that you want to know if something is happening with your child. Very often teachers are hesitant to reach out because they don’t know the reaction that they are going to get from a parent or guardian. There are enough times that teachers get yelled at or antagonized by parents and guardians that it makes communication difficult, so when they know that you welcome feedback it takes the hesitation away.
Be proactive with grade checks.
Make time regularly to check your child’s grades. Most school districts now use online grade books that parents and guardians can access so that you can see your child’s grade in real time. If this is the case, you should use this to your advantage. Set up a day on your calendar each week or every other week where you check your child’s grades. If you see anything that you have a question about, this is the perfect time to email your child’s teacher in order to get clarification. You may want to ask the teacher if your child can make up or redo an assignment, you may want to set up a time to work with the teacher if it is clear that your child is struggling with a particular concept. I set up Mondays as grade check day with my daughter. This has really helped me to stay on top of her grades and to stay in constant communication with her teachers. It has been helpful to ensure that her grades don’t get away from me and I can assist when I notice that she needs some additional support.
Attend Parent Teacher Conference Nights.
I know that sometimes it is difficult to make it to parent teacher conference nights. We all have very busy schedules and trying to get to a conference night may not be high on the priority list after you have worked all day but it is time well spent. You will get to hear from your child’s teacher about what your child is doing well and areas in which they need to make improvements. Now if you have been checking with the teachers weekly or biweekly you don’t have to attend conference nights because you will be up to date. But if you aren’t checking in with the teachers weekly or biweekly then attending parent teacher conference nights becomes necessary.
Figure out who to direct your concerns to.
If you are having a non-academic concern with your child’s school call the main office and find out who is the best person to direct your concern to. There is no reason to go straight to the principal or local board of education. In many cases that can be counterproductive to you trying to get the problem resolved. The only reason to go to the principal or local board of education is if this is a situation that you have already tried to get assistance with and the school was unable to resolve it. Sometimes a more complex problem may take a few tries, so you may have to start with the School Counselor, then an Assistant Principal and then the Principal. It is important to give the school the opportunity to assist before breaking the lines of communication by going above the school to try to get a problem resolved.
Remember the old adage.
Keep in mind that you should treat others as you would like to be treated. Speaking from first hand experience from someone who has been an educator for 20 years I have had many conversations with parents and guardians that went poorly. The reason for this is usually because the parent usually already has a preconceived idea of what has happened and they are not immediately open to hearing what happened from another perspective. I have heard, “ I know that my child is telling me the truth,” more times than I can count. Then only to find that their child was not telling them the truth. Things happen everyday in schools, educators make mistakes because they are human and usually you have educators who are professionals who are willing to help solve any issue. However when a parent calls and starts off the call by screaming, yelling or being accusatory without hearing from the educator that is not productive or helpful. No one wants to help someone who is yelling at them. Just remember that you should talk to people the way that you want to be spoken to and all will be well.
It takes a village…
Communication is key to a successful educational experience for your child. By staying in touch with your child's teacher, you can ensure that they are receiving the best possible education. Parents should be involved in their child's education by asking questions, providing feedback, and sharing information with educators. By working together, parents and educators can help every child reach their potential. Finally, always remember that it takes a village to raise a child, and working together with other parents and educators will only benefit your child.