Parents: There is one important rule when it’s time for you to talk to your children’s teachers.
Be sure to contact them as they have indicated during back-to-school nights, school handbooks, or other communication platforms. Meaningful conversations might not be achieved if you attempt to waylay teachers at school events. Unless your conversation is part of a parent-teacher conference, your best option is to set up an appointment during their available non-instruction time.
Chats with teachers do not have to be in person. Phone conversations are often more convenient for both parents and teachers. Also, before speaking with your child’s teacher, even if it is just an informational session, ask them if there is anything they would like you to include in the parent-teacher discussion.
If your child has a serious health issue, all of their teachers, as well as the school nurse and administration, need to be made aware before the first day of school. They need knowledge of what it is, and how it is to be handled, if necessary. Furthermore, you must make sure the school has family contact numbers to quickly contact you during an emergency.
Basic Information to Share with your Children’s Teachers
The more teachers know about your children and any issues that may affect their performance at school, the better you can work together to help them succeed in school. Here are some things teachers desire parents to share with them at a conference or when you simply want them to know more about your children:
Family Concerns:
Whenever there are major changes in your children’s lives at home, this may impact how they are doing at school. Inform their teachers about divorces, separations, deaths, adoptions, and even moves to a new residence.
Personality Traits:
It is likely their teachers are aware of whether your children are introverts or extroverts. But do they know about other major traits like agreeableness, openness, and conscientiousness that strongly affect how they work with others?
Academic Strengths and Weaknesses:
While teachers will discover children’s strengths and weaknesses over time, it can certainly add to their picture of children to know such things as a passion for geography or the British monarchy they could willingly share with classmates. And weaknesses, especially if they are considerable, should be discussed to determine what extra help might be needed.
Classroom Concerns:
It can be helpful for teachers to know children get very upset when they have to give solo speeches or reports. And if children need to make friends with classmates, teachers can definitely assist with this. And the same goes for behavioral issues, especially bullying.
Extracurricular Strengths:
What children do outside of school can be integrated into lessons and be shared with classmates. It is likely to increase your children’s interest in school. So notify teachers if your children are swimmers, tennis players, dancers, volunteers, gifted artists, scouts, or tutors. And don’t forget about their hobbies like playing chess or knitting.
Academic Challenges:
As soon as parents observe their children are having academic difficulties in a subject, it should be discussed with their teacher.
Parents should send questions and comments to dearteacher@dearteacher.com, and visit the dearteacher.com website to learn more about helping their children succeed in school.