How to establish good communication with your child’s school

When students, parents and teachers communicate openly and honestly with each other about what’s happening at home and in the classroom, everyone can stay focused on the learning. Here are some tips.

Keep school-home lines of communication open 

Family involvement and positive home-school communication have been associated with improved grades, positive behaviour and attitudes about learning, increased participation and increased attendance. Start by finding out how your child’s teacher would like to be contacted, and honour his or her preferences by sticking to that method. When something comes up, go to the teacher first, and not to the principal. That is unfair to both the principal and the teacher.

Remember the good moments too. Thank teachers for their efforts on behalf of your child. Thanking teachers lets them know that you respect and appreciate what they do and how they do it.

Don’t bash or undermine a teacher in front of the kids. Kids hear what you say about their teachers, and it’s essential to preserve the student-teacher relationship at all costs.

Promote self-advocacy 

Starting as early as kindergarten, children need to be encouraged to speak up, tell adults what they need and stand up to people who are not treating them the way they want to be treated. Self-advocacy is a key part of building a child’s sense of self-efficacy, or the understanding that they have the power to control and change their behaviour, motivation and environment.

When your children come to you to complain about how another child or a teacher treated them, ask what they said or did (or what they plan to say or do) to make sure they are heard and understood.

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