Nothing hurts more than hearing others say your child is imperfect. And except for some grandparents, no one says it more than schools do. That’s because no one (except for some grandparents) spends more time with your child.
Parent/teacher communication is important to understanding and solving behavior problems in school. No one knows your child as well as you do. So if you’re getting a lot of phone calls and notes about behavior these days, here are some tips that may help.
Tips To Help Make Parent/teacher Communication Easier
- Ask teachers for specific examples of the behavior they don’t like.
- Check your child’s perceptions of these events. How would she describe the problem? Is she bored, confused, scared? Each requires a different approach to finding solutions.
- Watch for a mismatch of teaching and learning styles. For example, a child who learns best while moving and touching may frustrate a teacher who values watching and listening.
- Share with teachers your knowledge about what motivates and stimulates your child to learn. Share the techniques you have at home to get your child to behave well.
- Work together – teacher, child and parent – to find a system on which you can agree. Expect the same good behavior and learning both at home and at school.
When parents, teachers and students work together to identify behavioral triggers and develop strategies that enable the student to behave appropriately, everyone wins. Usually, this kind of three-way communication is all a student needs to sort herself out. If problems persist, parents and teachers should tap the support of other resources in the school - counselors, the vice-principal, the principal, the school nurse, the school psychologist, the school social worker, truancy counselor or even the school's police liaison. All of these professionals can offer additional expertise that might help a student turn his or her behavior around.