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Effective Communication

Building strong communication between teachers and parents can be difficult but
it is necessary. Teachers and parents need to build a bond with one goal in mind,
the success of the students. Teachers must have an open line of communication
with positive interaction not just negative reports about their students. As
teachers we must remember that we are talking about the purest love that a
person has, their child. How positive would it be if a parent got a random email,
text communicating what a great day their child had? Ate all their lunch, mastered
coloring between the lines, made a complete sentence today, received a 100
percent on a spelling test. One email per student per day by the end of the month
you have reached 20 families that knows you care with simple communication.
The other plus is parents get to praise their child at dinner for the small
accomplishment.
Creating the parent teacher communication can be an uphill battle, this is due to
lack of communication between teacher and parent. Parents talk to each other if
another parent struggled, with a teacher in a previous semester parents may walk
into your classroom expecting a challenge or a teacher may have heard that these
parents are exceedingly difficult to work with and may withdraw from open
communication.
It all starts with trust, communication that lacks trust will always suffer. Without
trust parents will not believe that the teacher has their child’s best interest at
heart and may resist recommendations for their child’s academic improvement. A
teacher who does not trust a parent may not take a parent’s word that they will
aid in their child’s progress. Trust is the foundation for building communication,
teachers need to build that trust with communication.
Communication is much easier when you set the tone making intentions clear
from the very beginning. Getting parent and teacher on the same page so that
they can work together to help student accomplish goals. It is also important that
the teacher and parent agree on a method of communication, text, email etc.
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When initiating first contact it can fall to either party, families appreciate teachers
who go the extra mile to make connections. You can make a trust building phone
call or letter to parents explaining goals and expectations. Something to refer to
when a bumpy road appears.
Teachers need to be consistent, maintain frequency of communication. If you
reach out infrequently, or only when you need something, or a child has a
behavioral problem, you are limiting trust and could be encouraging resentment.
Consistent communication gives the impression that you care.
If a student is in trouble, falling behind on class work, do not put off
communicating with the student’s parents. Together you can plan to achieve a
goal of getting the student caught up. Plan a face to face, or facetime, with
teacher, student, and parents as a team, devise a plan of academic success. If
teachers establish frequent communication, parents will inform you of issues they
are witnessing at home that can be addressed before they become a larger
problem. Your intentions should be to teach and learn in equal measures, asking
questions and listening to the other side.
Check your “I’m the Teacher arrogance at the door” let the parents talk, ask open
ended questions so parents can explain how they feel and listen to them. Ask
them to tell you more so that you come away with a true understanding of the
situation. Have authentic dialogue! If you expect the truth, you must give the
truth. Give empathy and understanding, a genuine understanding of how they
must feel. Parents of immigrant children, children of color, special needs and low
income may feel nervous, due to language barriers, financial and living situation.
Teachers need to put them at ease, communicated. Let them understand that
their opinion matters.
Keep a positive demeanor. How you speak to parents will have a direct effect on
how they interact with you, keep it friendly. Being positive helps to build trust,
they will be able to see that you are not there to tear them down. They will be
more forth coming in future communications. Make sure you know what you are
trying to convey, do not waste their time. Getting to the point, why it is important
the parents need this information for the success of their child. It does not matter
what the subject matter of the conversation is, do it with respect, with the child’s
welfare in mind.