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Building a Bond with Your Child’s Teacher

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I just experienced one of the craziest rituals of the year.

The back to school open house.

Students swarmed the hallways and their excited but nervous voices echoed through a building that had been dormant for months.  It warmed my heart to see old faces and to shake the hands of those I will guide through 6th grade for the next nine months.

But it’s not the students that make my heart skip a beat and my hands quiver slightly, it’s the parents.

No matter how many years I teach, my adrenaline is always pumping when I meet new families.

I want them to know my heart, know my desires for their children and understand my perspective on education.

I want a partnership with them, one built on trust and on a common goal; educating their child.

As a parent longing for camaraderie with my own children’s teachers and as a veteran teacher myself, here’s a few simple ways to build a strong bond with your child’s teacher.

Bond with Your Child's Teacher

Pray for your child’s teacher!

Teaching is by far the toughest job I’ve ever had!  It’s a(n) demanding, exhausting, heartbreaking, exhilarating experience rolled into a day that is far longer than the required eight hours.

I covet the prayers of my student’s parents, and know teachers everywhere that would agree.

We need prayers in all aspects of life: our families, our health, our finances, our relationships with students, our relationships with parents, for our creative heart, and for strength/endurance.

Covering a teacher in prayer is simple, and while it may seem like a silent strategy for building a strong bond, it will change YOUR heart and the rest of these tips will become second nature.

Be respectful.

Teachers come in all shapes and sizes, with varied personalities and strengths.

I’ve been the beloved teacher that students were thrilled to get.

I’ve been on the opposite end of the spectrum, where students were less than happy to have me as their teacher.

Whatever your position is on whom your child has been assigned, always be respectful.

If an issue arises, question gently and with respect.

Even if doesn’t seem like it, teachers DO want the best for students and when shown respect, will be eager to help you come to a mutual understanding.

Keep in mind, your child may not be matched with a “favorite” teacher every year.  But, your child has something to learn from every teacher, including the valuable life skill of treating everyone with the love of Jesus.

Be understanding.

Sometimes teachers are glorified messengers, meaning the curriculum (the message) has been given to us by a higher authority.  We often do not get to choose what or how we teach.

When you see a unit, project or test that was not something you would choose for your child, remember your teacher might not have chosen it either.

Be understanding of the teacher’s personal time outside of school.  We have families and lives that are often put on the back burner.  Please extend kindness and grace by respecting the boundaries of our personal time.

Put an end to gossip.

I never knew schools were such gossip mills until I started working in one.

Rumors spread like wildfire, and often teachers are given an undeserving reputation.

Teachers can be made to sound like ogres, when in reality,  the job description calls us to speak words of correction, truth and honesty, even when it is not popular or accepted well by students.

So when the rumor mill is ablaze with words of destruction, help extinguish them with words of truth, of grace, and by not spreading those harmful rumors.

Be encouraging.

There are families that I will always cherish simply because of their words of encouragement.  Maybe the message came in the form of a hand written note or an e-mail full of thanks. The teacher heart loves to know it is making a difference and impacting the lives of students.

When parents let us know our diligence is paying off, that spurs us on to teach another day.

How do you foster a bond between teachers and parents?  How do you handle sticky situations?

 

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