Children’s success in school depends on a wide range of factors that includes the quality of the relationship between their parents and teachers. Use these suggestions to partner with your children’s teachers, building strong relationships that last throughout the school year.
Show Your Support
There are many ways to show a teacher that he or she has your support. One of the most important ways is to respect the classroom schedule. Help your kids be one time and prepared, teaching them that responsibility at school extends to your home. Practice being on time for the start of school if you drop them off and for the end of the day if you pick them up. And should you sign up to volunteer in the classroom or on a field trip, follow through with your commitment – this is one of the most valuable ways to show that you care about teachers and the children in their classrooms.
Make an Appointment
A classroom is a practice in organized chaos, especially as children and parents come and go at the start and end of a typical school day. These might seem like good times to talk about your child, but teachers are often distracted and busy with discipline issues, staff meetings, and parent phone calls as well as the regular routines of a classroom. If you need to talk to the teacher about a concern you have regarding your child, it’s best to call or email and make an appointment in advance. This way, you’ll get the teacher’s full attention in order to address your needs.
Dress for Success at School
A typical school day contains a wide range of experiences and opportunities to ruin or lose really nice clothes. Before you say goodbye to your kids each morning, make sure that they’re not wearing anything that you would be sad to see with grass or paint stains. Instead, direct them to wear sturdy clothing that can stand up to active learning. In addition, keep in mind that items like coats, lunch bags, sweatshirts, hats and gloves are easily lost. Buy gently used sweatshirts or coats at local thrift stores, and stock up on inexpensive gloves in the winter while you teach your kids to keep track of these kinds of items.
Brave Your Child’s Backpack
Even with the increase of technology use between teachers and families, there are still quite a lot of papers that can be found shoved in your children’s backpacks. These papers often contain important information for parents, and one way to stay informed is to help your children clean out their backpacks each day. Make this exercise part of your homework routine to keep you and your children organized and up to date all year long!
