The Importance of Connecting with Your Child’s Teacher

According to experts, connecting with your child’s teacher is one of the most important activities that you may do for your child. The reason being is that, if a positive partnership is developed between you and the person that educates your child, it will contribute to the student’s overall level of success in school. Numerous studies indicate that, outside of the immediate family, a child’s teacher is the second most important individual within the life of your child. By making an effort to personally connect with the educator, you are not only setting the stage to develop a positive relationship with the teacher, but, you are helping your child develop a strong and rewarding relationship with their teacher.

According to a Ph.D that serves as a professor of education at the Wheelock College, Diane Levin, if you have a positive relationship with your child’s teacher, it helps your child in numerous ways. First, it makes them feel good about attending school. Second, it motivates them to achieve higher levels of success at school. Thirdly, and most importantly, it shows your kid that you completely trust the teacher that they have; therefore, they will trust their teacher. All in all, this connection is highly rewarding for all in involved and the child is sure to feel as if everyone that they interact with each day is working together because they truly care about them. This will make the youngster feel very important, which does wonders for their self-esteem AND their academic success.

A Master of Education, Susan Beck, stresses the importance of proper communication. She states that communication is the main factor in developing a parent-teacher partnership that is both positive and productive. Communication should be initiated and encouraged from both sides. For example, as a parent, you should keep your child’s teacher informed of their development in various aspects of their life – such as emotionally, socially, and academically. A teacher, on the other hand, should keep the parent informed about what their kid is learning in school, how they learn, and if they seem to comprehend the coursework being covered in the classroom.

Unfortunately, communicating with a teacher that could have in excess of 25 students at a time to deal with may prove to be very challenging. In order to develop the relationship and connect with the educator, you may consider the following steps:

1. First, meet with the teacher in person and explain your goals. These should include academic goals for your child and the goal of developing a relationship with them. Provide the teacher with your phone number, your email address, and any other method for establishing contact and request the same information from them.
2. Secondly, it is important to highlight your child’s weaknesses. Yes, we all want to expound on their accomplishments; however, we are trying to build up the child. Because of this, we want the teacher to know and understand what weaknesses your child has so that they may help you focus on those throughout the school year.
3. Finally, you should take the time to volunteer in the classroom and/or ask your teacher to your home for dinner or a dessert. Not only will this let you see how the teacher works with her students, it will allow the teacher to see your family at work, too! All in all, both activities will assist with the bonding.

As you can see, connecting with a teacher is a very important step in ensuring your child’s success in school. As with any relationship, though, it is important to approach the relationship with a high level of respect and enthusiasm. You should determine which forms of communication your child’s teacher is most comfortable with and think of activities that will allow the bond to develop between your family and your child’s teacher. For more information on helping your child achieve academic success, visit our special tuition page at: http://miraclemathcoaching.com/tuition/