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Good Parent and Teacher Communication Could Make the Difference in Your Child's FutureGood parent and teacher communication could make the vitaldifference in your child's future. Yes, it could mean the difference between his success and failure. Research indicates that children are more successful in school when their parents speak with their teacher more and become involved in school activities. If you are a young mother or father reading this article, you're lucky because you have the information that could make the difference between your child's success or failure, her happiness or sadness. Not only that, by acting now, you could save yourself a lot of guilt and heartache in the future by preventing a major problem now. Only you will know how you will feel later, if you could have done something now to help your child but didn't. So act now, be the hero of your son or daughter's life, and save yourself and your child a lot of trouble and grief. I assure you, you will never regret it. Good parent and teacher communication is critical in the early grades. Particularly in the primary grades, your child's teacher sees her more, in the course of the day, than you probably do. Hence, the teacher, not only is in a position to assess your child's learning ability in school but, also, her social skills and emotional maturity. If your child is having a problem, or a problem may be impending, chances are your child's teacher is in the best position to notice since he gets to observe her in many different types of situations, including interacting with her peers. Don't think any problems you have with your child are just a phase and will go away. Good parent and teacher communication means you communicate these problems to your teacher. He may be able to help you. What's more your communication will cause him to be on the look out for these same problems occurring at school. It is critical to find out about any challenges your child may have as soon as possible or "sooner" than possible. Attending to small problems in kindergarten or first grade may help prevent huge, impossible problems later. Good parent and teacher communication means being informed about the problem early and dealing with the problem immediately. Good parent and teacher communication means approaching the teacher with a cooperative mind set. A few parents, unfortunately, approach the teacher in a combative mode. This doesn't do anyone any good. The teacher will be more likely to look out for your child if you approach him with cooperation in mind, like two parents working together for the benefit of their child. Good parenting means being aware of what is happening in your child's life. Since your child's teacher sees her more each day than virtually anyone else, good parent and teacher communication is important in your determining just how well your child is doing now, and what the teacher thinks her future looks like. Therefore, for better parent and teacher communication, go out of your way to talk and befriend your child's teacher, and find out how he thinks your child is doing. Some questions you might want to ask the teacher at the beginning of each school year (after the first week) and at the start of each quarter are:
illustrated better than the story about "Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention." Click here to read the story. In this story a teacher helped save a teenager's life by referring him for counseling before it was too late. Good parent and teacher communication will help your child's teacher keep you better informed since he knows you are interested and committed. As a counselor, I've worked with many teachers. I can attest that they save lives and can help turn hopeless kids into hopeful, successful kids with proper parent and teacher communication, but they need your help. Unfortunately, a few parents do not attempt good parent and teacher communication, leaving the teacher to do the job alone. Instead, realize teachers can be your best friend when it comes to your kids. For your kid's sake, befriend them, talk to them cooperatively, and use their professional ability to assure your child's success. Your child’s teacher is an important resource and can help you determine if your child needs to see a counselor. So don’t be afraid to talk to him. Year after year, teaching a variety of different students, teachers have every day experience of what the normal range of behavior is and when a child may be having difficulty coping. Hence, the teacher can be of great value in advising parents whether their child needs some help, or in giving additional information to the parent that can be used in helping the parent decide whether or not to refer his child for counseling. If you have any worries in this regard, consult with your child’s teacher now. This contributes to good parent and teacher communication. I have nothing but respect for the jobs teachers do. As a counselor, they have helped me do my job better by pointing out kids with suspected behavioral problems before they became embedded and difficult to treat. Frankly, I am awed by their massive work loads and how effective they prove. I have first hand experience seeing what they confront on almost a daily basis: stressed parents, troubled children, lesson plans, demanding new standardized tests and procedures, having to take students’ homework and other paper work home. In my opinion, they are over worked and under paid. Teachers usually arrive at school early in the morning, long before their classes commence and many times depart hours after the end of the school day. Many help students before class and after class, donating their free time to students because they care. Parents, concerned about their children, seek their time. Staff meetings are held on a regular basis after school, as well as individual education plan meetings that are arranged to meet the special needs of certain students. During class time, they often have thirty or more students to attend to, not to mention various interruptions that transpire during their day. What's more, due to parents, often, having to work at two jobs, teachers help raise our children since they, frequently, spend more time with them than we do. Hence, it is important for the parent to communicate to the teacher what his expectations are of his child. What's more, it is important for the parent to, not only ask for feedback from his child's teacher, but to take it seriously by acting upon it. This is effective parent and teacher communication. Good parent and teacher communication means keeping in mind that the teacher needs your help, and you need his help. In summary:
child's teacher's help. Your child's life and future success may depend on it.
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