The JumpStart Blog

Research shows kids do better in school when parents communicate with teachers and become involved in the school. Making an effort to get involved in your child’s education doesn’t take much and it can have a lasting impression on your child and how she views school and learning for the rest of her life. Taking the initiative to create this collaborative relationship shows your interest and could prevent problems before they ever start.

Teachers appreciate when parents are concerned and interested in their child’s successes, challenges, and academic progress. Although teachers are busy, an involved parent makes their job so much easier. You can build rapport and create a partnership with your child’s teacher by taking a few simple steps:

• Take the Initiative: At the beginning of the school year, make it a point to introduce yourself to your child’s teacher while expressing your interest in developing consistent and open communication. Learn about the teacher’s expectations, procedures, and policies. Be sure the teacher knows how to contact you and you know the best way to contact him or her. Ask for recommendations on how to supplement learning at home. Taking the initiative to form this relationship will show the teacher and your child how much you value education and how important learning is to you.
• Be Available: Even if you can’t be present during the school day, you can still be directly involved in your child’s education. Be available for your child’s teacher to contact you via email or cell phone. Write notes to the teacher and make it a priority to be available if something comes up during the school day. Being available after school hours to listen to your child’s highlights of the day is also important to keep you in the loop about what’s going on at school. It’s also important to monitor your child’s homework habits and ensure that learning doesn’t stop after the school bell rings.
• Get Involved: If your child’s school sponsors a parent/teacher organization like the PTA or the PTO, be sure to get involved in some way. Attending meetings and other school sponsored events offers you the opportunity to develop good relationships with other parents and members of the school staff. Make it a point to go to parent/teacher conferences, school open houses, and other events to show your support and stay involved. If you are fortunate enough to have the time, volunteer to help out in your child’s classroom every once in a while. Depending on your schedule and interest, you could help with classroom parties, field trips, or special projects. There are also many opportunities for working parents to get involved by helping out in the evenings. Fundraisers, school carnivals, and extra-curricular activities all need parental assistance in the planning process.
• Show Your Gratitude: Teaching is an enormous job involving multiple responsibilities and tasks. Teachers rarely get the recognition they deserve. Be sure your child’s teacher knows how much you appreciate all of the time she puts into her profession for the well-being and future of your child. Letting your kids’ teachers know that their efforts do not go unnoticed will mean a lot to them.
• Form a Partnership: Teachers are specially trained and spend hours helping children to advance, both academically and socially. Because of this, a teacher can often offer insight on a child’s progress that we as parents may not otherwise have. Take advantage of this objective observation and use the information that your children’s teachers provide to help your children develop their unique talents to the fullest. Typically, parents do not get to observe their children in an organized learning environment, but teachers will happily talk with interested parents about their individual situation. Let teachers know that you welcome and appreciate their input. This is an invaluable partnership that will have a positive lifelong effect on your child.
• Regular Communication: Although most schools offer regularly scheduled parent/teacher conferences a few times a year, it’s a good idea to keep in touch with your child’s teacher between these conferences. If you have concerns regarding your child’s behavior or academic progress, it might be useful to request an additional meeting with the teacher. Or, if it’s a smaller issue, sending a note with your child or a quick email is always a good idea. Don’t wait for the next scheduled school-wide conferences to contact the teacher, it may be too late. Some parents have found great success in using a notebook to house an ongoing conversation with the teacher. Carried to and from school by your child, this is an excellent way to give and receive daily updates about your child.

When your child knows his education is a priority to you, he will take it more seriously as well. Staying involved throughout while your child is in school is an invaluable resource for your child and his teacher.

For more information on how you can build the parent-teacher relationship, click here.