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Good Teacher Student Relationship Means Good Parent Teacher Communication
Better teacher student relationship results from improved parent and teacher communication that could make the vital difference 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 teacher communication is critical in the early grades for improved teacher student relationship. 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. Your communication will, not only help the teacher understand your child, but improve the teacher student relationship, which, in turn, should result in better school performance by your child.
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.This means getting the student teacher relationship off to a good start right of the bat.
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. This sets the tone for a solid teacher student relationship.
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. Such communication with your teacher impresses her, and let's her know you are a concerned parent, doing your part. Hence, the teacher will too, and will foster a good teacher student relationship, likely to improve your child's learning.
Therefore, for improved teacher student relationship, 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:
- How is my child doing academically compared to the other
students and compared to performance in past years? Even if your child is doing well, ask what else you can do to help her do better, or assure she will continue to do well. This is because you must keep in mind now your child's future success in the tougher, higher grades.
- What are her academic areas of weakness and strength?
What can be done to improve her areas of weakness, and who would you recommend to speak with about this matter? Are there any special programs available? Ask the teacher for special homework assignments to help your child with the problem.
- If your child has an academic challenge be prepared to
help her out more than usual and stay in touch with the teacher on, at least, a weekly basis to assess any progress.
- Is her emotional and social maturity normal for her age?
If not, what particular areas does she need improvement and where does one get help?
- What specifically can I do to improve my child's success
in school?
- Tell your teacher any specific worries you may have,
concerning your child. He may be able to help you. If he doesn't volunteer help, ask him for advice.
- Are they looking for volunteers to help at school? As a
volunteer in the classroom, you can observe your child first hand.
The teacher's importance in your child's life cannot be 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 teacher student relationship will help your child's teacher keep you better informed since he knows you are interested and committed to your child's school success.
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 better the teacher student relationship, and thus 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 teacher student relationship.
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, as well as, 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 effective parent and teacher communication improves the teacher student relationship, and the chance your child will do better. Good parent and teacher communication means keeping in mind that the teacher needs your help, and you need his help. This leads to the good teacher student relationship that enhances learning.
In summary:
- Kids whose parents talk to the teacher more, do better
in school.
- Your teacher is like a second parent for your child.
Therefore, particularly in the early grades, it is critical you talk to him at the beginning of each quarter, keeping in mind the questions listed above.
- Since parents work best that work together, approach the
teacher with cooperation in mind.
- Look for and tackle your child's problems when they are
in primary school or earlier because, if you wait, they will be ten to a hundred times harder to handle later.
- If your child is having a problem, ask your teacher for
help now, or "sooner," or I can, almost, guarantee you that it will get a lot worse, and you could end up with a teenage nightmare on your hands.
- Your child's teacher can be your best friend, as far as
your child is concerned. He needs your help, and you need his help. Befriend him, get his help, be cooperative.
- Remember great teacher student relationship is created
by consistent parent teacher communication. Parents your child's success is in your capable hands.
You'll never regret cooperating with and getting your child's teacher's help. Your child's life and future success depend on it.
For topics related to the teacher student relationship, click here, for the child counseling page,
and, here, for the parenting advice page.
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