I am a firm believer that a child's education requires an investment from three parties: the teacher, the child and the the parents! All three working together make for a successful year. At first, parents may be hesitant to come to you or to speak with you (especially if there is a language barrier or cultural differences). Whatever their reasons may be, you can help them be more comfortable by creating and building a relationship with parents!
I am not an expert, but I have been teaching for quite awhile and these following tips have been effective in creating great relationships with parents!
At the beginning of the school year, when you first meet with a parent, assess how much time you have to chat. If you have a few minutes, take the time to ask about their family. How many siblings does the child in your class have? What do they all like to do together? Does your student play any sports?
It's important to remember that taking the time to just chat about non-school stuff shows that you care about the whole child and not just his/her academics. Parents like to know that you have a vested interested in their child. Creating a trusting and caring rapport will help parents feel more comfortable when speaking to you. This will go a long way later on if you ever need to talk to them about something that is more difficult to discuss.
If there isn't too much time available then keep it short and sweet but try to end in a way that shows you still care and want to talk more in the future. “I'm sorry we couldn't talk for too long, I look forward to talking more later so that I can get to know you better.” Or “I look forward to our meeting on _______ when we can talk a little bit longer about your child.”
Communicating often is so important to foster a relationship with parents. Believe me… if you only call to tell them the “bad” stuff then they aren't going to want to talk to you too much in the future. Try to communicate with parents about their child as often as possible. Especially, call or send a note when something great has happened in class with their child!
When a parent asks a child how their day went… the answer is usually, “fine”. Fine? That's it??? Yup, children usually do not elaborate much. If a teacher takes the time to write a note, shoot out an email or call home, the parent will really know how their day went. It gives parents a reason to praise and converse with their child about the day they had. It will jog the kids memory too and “fine” might turn into a conversation.
The more often you communicate with parents, the more they will be feel a part of the education of their child. They know how they're child is doing because you are informing them.
If you do any type of goal setting in your class, make sure the parents and the child both know the goal! What ever the goal is, communicate this with parents! It goes back to everyone being a part of the same team. Everyone should be working together towards a common goal.
Lucky for you… my freebie today will help with this tip!
This has brought some parents to tears before. It's not that I want to make them cry, it's just that not too many people have taken the time to tell them how special their child is. Don't just say “they're special” be specific and genuine in the compliment you are giving your student. Most importantly, don't lie or make it up.
I like to tell parents things that happen at school that impressed me about the student. This way, the parents are getting a glimpse of the child that they don't normally see since they aren't at school.
My first few years of teaching I rarely did this, but over the years I've realized what a difference it makes. Most parents know their child is special… they love them no matter what… of course they are special!
When someone else finds the unique qualities that makes their child special and points it out them … well… they just puff up like proud parents!
Remember be specific. “Johnny is really nice,” is not enough. “I've noticed Johnny help his partner several times when he is confused. That shows what a thoughtful kid he is.” is more specific and shows that you pay attention to each individual child.
On a serious note, sometimes parents don't realize how special their child is. For whatever reason, they have a lot on their plates and sometimes can't or won't give their child the attention he/she needs. I would say, this is the most important time to share with parents how special their child is. They need to hear it from you so that maybe they can see it in their child too…. so they can stop and take few moments to really admire their own child.
This probably seems obvious, but parents like to know what is going on in their child's life. Kids, as many of you may know, are not too good at telling their parents upcoming events or activities. Keep parents informed on what you are learning in class, when a test is coming up, what their child's goals are, school events etc. The easiest way is with a weekly or monthly class newsletter. In the age of technology an e-newsletter, basically a pdf sent through email, might be easier and more reliable.
Keeping them informed also includes their child's behavior in class and with classmates. If two students aren't getting along with each other, I like to let their parents know that something is going on and that I plan to help the two children come up with possible solutions. Always call home or write a note when their child gets hurt or was feeling sick that day. I like to write notes and tape it to the front of their HW folder. I know it all seems common sense but the truth is we get busy. After school, I feel so rushed to do things that calling parents slips my mind. Writing the note right when it happens has saved me lots of times!
Bottom line, keep parents informed.
Last tip, invite them into your room. When parents come into class, the kids get so excited. They love to see their parents in their classroom. A classroom is a kids world, it's their space, it's where they go everyday. Having parents in the room gives the children an opportunity to share their special place.
When you invite parents into your room, decide on the purpose of the visit. Is it to help, to observe, to do some work for you.
Some common things parents can help with:
- Read a story to the class.
- Read with a small group or individual student.
- Help a student that struggled with the previous night's homework.
- Lead a craft or project with the class.
- Help get centers or activities prepped.
- Make copies.
- Create packets.
- Get stuff ready for the upcoming week.
- Depending on district or school policies, they can grade tests or classwork.
Please, please don't let language barriers be a reason to not invite parents into the room. Any parent that is willing to come and help is showing they care about their child and their education is important. If you are worried about communicating, usually their own child or other children in the class can serve as interpreters! Just remember how happy kids are when they see their parents in their classroom!So these are my 5 tips for you all!
I know they are not ground breaking or anything new but all put together, they will help you create a strong relationship with parents.
If you've followed me this long… you are ready for a freebie! But guess what, you don't get one… you get TWO!
Both of these freebies will help with Tip #2: Communicate often! The best, is that both items are in English and Spanish!
The positive notes home come in two different styles. Small note home and and a mini-note home. The mini-notes work best whole class… staple them to their work and send them home!
The goal setting sheets are available in weekly and monthly form! With my lower grade students, I tend to do weekly goals because they are easier to remember. Monthly goals are great for mid to upper grade students!
I hope, hope, hope that you were able to come away with something helpful and realize the value in creating positive relationships with parents.
If you liked my freebie, you will love the full version! It has over 60 notes and is still growing.
Fonts and image credits for images above: KG Fonts, Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Designs, Sonya Dehart Designs
I love the goal setting sheets! I'd love to try that with my first graders.
Best,
Julie
I enjoyed your post. I agree completely about inviting parents into the classroom, it helps strengthen the relationship.