Your Child’s Teacher is Your Best Ally

At the start of every school year students, teachers, and even parents are excited yet nervous about the year ahead. Entering the unknown is often scary. The parent is worried that their sweet baby may not get the kindest, best, or most compassionate teacher. The child’s fear is that their teacher won’t be nice, fun, or understand their needs. The teacher is concerned that the parents may be too involved or not involved enough or that a student is going to be challenging.

As this school year begins, it certainly looks a lot different than years past. The importance of the relationship and partnership between teachers, students, and parents is more critical than ever before. We MUST remember that we all have the child’s best interests at heart. As a former teacher, I can confirm rarely is someone a teacher for the great pay. A teacher becomes a teacher because we love and care about children’s success and want to be a part of fostering their love of lifelong learning. Through my 8 years of teaching, I have never met a teacher that wished for the students to be frustrated, overwhelmed, or fail.

I write with both my teacher hat and my parent hat on when I share these tidbits to make this school year as successful and productive as possible.

For the Parents:

• Teachers ALWAYS want what’s best for your child.
• You are on the same team with the same goals.
• Teachers will do their job to the BEST of their ability.
  • They are under a great deal of stress. They are doing their job in a way that they’ve never done it before.
• They don’t know what they don’t know.
  • In other words, how can they help your child if they don’t know they’re struggling? Which brings me to…
• COMMUNICATE – When and how you communicate is of utmost importance.
  • Teachers want you to share and talk to them. Don’t forget to share the good stuff too! Speaking up and communicating are life skills we should be modeling for our children.
  • At an age-appropriate level, encourage your child to talk to the teacher and advocate for themselves. This is something I have taught my children from an early age. They have never received anything less than a positive response. It is empowering to them!
• Respect boundaries.
  • As much as we would like it, teachers are not on call 24/7. Take note of office hours and what the best means of communication is.
• Explore your fears around advocating for your child.
  • What are you most worried about? How can you change your thinking to best benefit and support your child?
• If your teacher hasn’t offered it already, ask for a one on one meeting.
  • Either in person, if possible, or virtually. This will allow your child and you to feel more connected to the teacher, and vise versa.
• Read all material the teacher sends to you.
  • Open all emails, empty all folders, and check backpacks for papers sent home. More often than not, the answer you’re looking for was probably already answered. They spend a good amount of time doing their best to communicate with you and share information with you to make sure that home and school are connecting.
  • Keep papers with important information in a safe place to refer back to later. If something isn’t clear, ask for clarification!
• Connect with other parents in the class.
  • Create a group chat. Other parents are great resources and support! Use the group in a positive manner. It should not be a place to complain about the teacher. That doesn’t help anyone.
• Practice self-care!
  • Even ten minutes of meditation or if that’s not your thing, just sitting silently can make a huge impact on how you show up each day. AND BREATHE!

For the Teachers:

• Parents are worried their child will fall behind. Especially if they are choosing remote learning.
• Parents are doing the best they know how.
• Parents are often intimidated by teachers. (That’s a blog for another day)
• Be very clear and as inviting and as welcoming as possible when telling parents to connect and communicate with you. The more you connect with them on a personal level the more comfortable they will feel to reach out when they need to.

Be compassionate, Be Kind, Be Patient
After all, isn’t that what you want to model for your children?