As part of the PTA’s plan to increase family engagement this year, we are participating in the National PTA School of Excellence program. After receiving parent survey responses this fall, we have been provided with a “roadmap to excellence” to help us improve in areas where we are potentially falling short.
With that in mind, we will be sharing a short item with you throughout the next few months that we hope you will find useful. This month’s topic is “Communicating Effectively.”
Here are just a few tips for effective communication between parents and teachers:
- Be collaborative with the teacher. Begin your communication with a positive attitude and a willingness to be a partner with your child’s teacher. You both want the best for your child, and working together is the easiest way to achieve that.
- Communicate, communicate, communicate. Don’t wait until there is a problem to email the teacher. Send emails, notes or even visit in person.
- Get comfortable within the school and with the teacher. The more comfortable you are, the easier it will be to have those serious conversations when they come up. Stop in for lunch with your child or to lend a hand photocopying or helping with something in the classroom. Join the PTA and get to know other parents through different school events or through a PTA committee. Come to an after-school event and get to know other parents and teachers in a casual “after hours” atmosphere.
- Feel free to make first contact with the teacher! Good communication runs both ways. If you don’t know how to get in contact with the teacher, call the school, look at the directory on the school website or send a note with your child. They want to hear from you!
- Follow through with what you say you will do. If you cannot do what you said you would do, communicate that too!
For more ideas, visit these links:
https://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/partnering-with-your-childs-teacher/
douglaspta.com 