Each year, parents enter into a co-guardianship with their child’s teacher. Each of us in this partnership plays our different roles, but we all strive to surround the child and put their needs at the centre. Our common goal is to have the child succeed throughout the year and to ensure they are happy in the school environment. Attaining that goal is more likely when parents develop a good relationship with their child’s teacher.
As with all healthy relationships, it is important to establish effective and open channels of communication through which the parents and teacher can identify areas of common ground, develop mutual respect and understanding. In this way, parents and teachers form the foundation for rich and meaningful dialogue around our children’s education.
So, how can you develop an understanding of who your child’s teacher is? To get to the heart of a teacher’s personality and to find out what drives them, I propose the following five questions. The answers will give you a picture of the person your child spends part of their day at school with.
What led you to become a teacher?
Most educators have a story to tell about how they ventured into teaching. Their story informs you on how they teach and how they relate to their students in the classroom. This will give you a window into the kind of classroom environment that the teacher will create and it will reveal why your child’s teacher shows up to work every day as well as what makes them passionate about what they do.
What do you want most for my child this year?
The beliefs and expectations the teacher has of each student can directly impact student achievement and growth. This question sheds light on how your child is viewed by the teacher and gives an indication of how the year will progress.
How do you view mistakes and how do you discipline students?
Knowing a teacher’s style of discipline and how they deal with the inevitable mistakes that children make, will help you gain a clearer picture of what is happening in the classroom. Knowing the teacher’s views on discipline will help you to understand the teacher’s reaction to any given event. Often teachers choose to work at certain schools because their personal views on discipline align with that of the school. However, it is important to understand your child’s teacher’s personal views.
What is your philosophy on education?
A teacher’s philosophy on education will determine how your child is taught, how much their voice will be heard as well as the students; access to certain resources. How you can successfully advocate for your child can be greatly influenced by how well you understand your child’s teacher’s approach to education. A deeper understanding of the teacher’s core beliefs of teaching and learning can allow you to develop a strong partnership with the teacher which will, in turn, have a positive impact on your child’s school year.
What is your expectation of us as parents and what does good communication look like to
you?
In any relationship, it is good to understand what each person’s expectations are to keep things harmonious. I would suggest that you seek to understand early on what your child’s teacher expects from you as a parent. Knowing this will allow you to establish rules of engagement with the teacher and also give you the opportunity to discuss how this fits in with other things that you have to do as a parent. Gaining an understanding of this from the outset can lead to conversations about where you are struggling and where you need help.
Your ultimate goal is to get to know your child’s teacher and I would encourage you to make this a priority. Make an effort to learn about and value the individuality of this very significant person in your child’s life. I would also suggest that parents reflect on what five things you would like your child’s teacher to know about you. This will go a long way in building a parent and teacher relationship that will ultimately benefit your child.
