KEA's Communication Tips for Parents
Stay Informed and Stay in Touch
You know it’s true: As parents, you are your children’s first and most important teachers.
Children learn best when their parents—or grandparents, guardians or foster parents—take an active interest in their education and work in partnership with their school teachers.
There are many things that you can do to help your child in school. A complete set of tips from KEA’s panel of experts, called "The Three R's for Parents," also is available on this Web site. But the most important thing you can do is to communicate with your children and their teachers: Stay informed and stay in touch.
If you and your child’s teacher work as a team, this will be the beginning of a successful school year.
Here are some recommendations on parent-student-teacher communications, from the KEA panel of experts:-
Be an active participant in your child’s education. Get to know your child’s teacher! Know what is going on in the classroom.
- Know the school’s policies and procedures.
- Know about what is going on school-wide: Get in touch with the school. If the school sends out regular emails to parents, ask to have your name put on the list.
- Talk to your children about what is going on in school at every opportunity! Don’t just ask the same tired question, “What did you do in school today?” You’ll probably get the same tired answer: “Nothing.” Instead, be interested in the details. Prompt them with questions that demand some response. Open the door to allow them to bring home the lessons of the day.
- Come to school and meet the teacher early in the year. Most schools have open house or events for that purpose. Be there to show your support for—and to underline your investment in—your child’s education. That is what “partners” do!
- If you know your schedule won’t allow you to attend open house or parents’ nights, contact your child's teacher early in the year and introduce yourself.
- Contact the teacher often. Don’t wait for a problem. Communicate by sending notes in their agenda or assignment book; by email; or through notes or phone calls.
- Ask what you can do at home to help your child be successful.
- Most elementary school teachers send home weekly newsletters - look for those.
- Attend conferences and stay informed.
- Consider volunteering to be a tutor in the classroom.
- Assist with field trips.
- Join and be active in the Parent teacher Organization.
- Call immediately when you see a problem, whether it be with grades, attitude, absences. Proactive is better.
- If you have a concern, raise it. For instance, if you think the homework seems too difficult—or you think there is too much of it—ask the teacher about it.
- If your child is not bringing home graded papers or tests, ask the teacher about that.
- Make yourself available to the teacher. Give them your email address and/or your phone number so they can easily contact you when they need to.
- When a problem exists listen to your child but don’t immediately jump to their defense. Talk to your child’s teacher to get “the whole picture” before you decide how to react.
- Support the teacher 100 percent. If your child knows you work as a team, they will respect you both, and do what is expected of them at school and at home.
- Please do not say anything negative about the teacher in front of your child. If you have an issue with a teacher, call the teacher. Go settle it with the teacher.
- Ask your child’s teacher how (or how else) you can be of assistance.
- Be a resource for the classroom; share your expertise.
- Contribute what you have to contribute:
“This past year I had in my class a child whose mother was a flight attendant. She was constantly out of town and could not go on field trips or volunteer. But she brought me a newspaper from just about every city she flew into (people leave them on the plane). I would tape them to the wall and circle cool things. It brought the world to my students. (Have you seen a newspaper from London, England, lately?)”
--Lisa Petry-Kirk, Anderson County Schools
- Teachers are highly trained, and they care about the kids in every way. They work many more hours than those during which the school is open. Remember them with a note or a thank you or a courtesy during the year. You will find it comes back to you. Building respect builds partnerships.