Learning doesn’t only happen at school, and teachers need to work with parents to ensure students are learning and reinforcing material when they’re outside the classroom. That’s why building strong relationships between parents and teachers from the start is crucial.
Before the new school year begins, consider new strategies to make the most of parent-teacher relationships and use them to navigate classroom success all year round.
Establish Effective Channels of Communication
Keeping parents and teachers connected requires effective and convenient communication channels. From discussing the students’ needs to coordinating a success plan, managing an open line of communication is the key to creating a relationship that lasts.
Keep communication open between parents and teachers regarding student attendance, behavior, and educational achievements. Start with an introductory meeting to meet parents and establish a bond from the start of the year until the end and build on that connection with regular student teacher conferences or communications home via letters or emails. You can also leverage communication technology to help families stay connected, enhance their experience, and lean more on teachers.
Encourage Feedback on Both Sides
Like any relationship, giving and receiving feedback is important to ensure expectations are understood and met. It’s also important to keep feedback open to encourage growth on both ends.
In situations where students may be missing homework or showing misbehavior in class, being able to communicate with parents is crucial. This also goes for the parents in cases where maybe their student isn’t gaining or retaining information as expected or they have misunderstandings and questions parents can’t answer for them.
On the other hand, teachers can greatly benefit from hearing praise from parents on how well they are guiding students and teachers can feel welcome to reach out to parents and thank them for their support. Being open to receiving feedback on both ends can encourage trust and build bonds between parents and teachers that only deepens the relationship.
Get Involved
Getting involved outside of the classroom creates even more opportunities for teachers and parents to build on their relationship. At parent teacher conferences, communicate about the students’ behavior, progress, and goals to give each side motivation to keep talking.
Parents can also attend or volunteer to help with school events like dances or book fairs. Spending time together can help strengthen your connection with parents and even with students as you all engage with each other at school events.
Celebrate Together
Of course, coming together to celebrate your students’ wins is a big part of maintaining parent and teacher relationships. Aside from graduation and moving up ceremonies, celebrating the end of a successful year or an exciting beginning can motivate teachers, parents, and students to stay connected and maintain their bond.
The fun and excitement of celebrating every success shows how teachers are invested in students, building more trust with parents and students and making themselves a part of it all.
By working together and establishing bonds between parents, students, and teachers, lasting relationships can be the norm for everyone at your school. Keep parents and teachers in touch with the FACTS Family App and make it easy to keep relationships between them blossoming from one year to the next.
