The last point in implementing the strategy, leading as the professional, involves taking ownership for the positive communication. If schools were hospitals, then teachers would be the doctors, diagnosing, treating, adjusting treatment, monitoring progress, etc. Statistics from our research indicate that parents are more satisfied with the school as a whole if the lines of communication are open and effective. The benefit for the teacher is simple: happy parents are far easier to work with! So, if issues arise, wouldn’t it be beneficial to communicate with the parents sooner rather than later? Parents deserve regular updates concerning their child’s academic and behavioral status. By providing the regular updates, the teacher continues the rapport-building process well into the school year, having begun it on a positive note with “Tell the Teacher More Day.”
Granted, achieving a positive communication relationship takes a concerted effort from both teachers and parents. We do our best to listen and respond with clarity in a positive tone to our parents. We are the professionals. We have a service to deliver and we know parents have a choice. But the best reason to invest in positive communication is because we have children in our midst. If they are to become the leaders of tomorrow–a multi-faceted, global, technological world–then they will need to have been mentored in these very skills we are practicing with their parents, including responsive listening, nonverbal communication, and simple eye contact. To my knowledge, these can’t be taught through the use of technology or by socializing online.
Parents will always be their child’s most impactful influence, and as long as students are still learning in classrooms, teachers are the second most important. We finally found a way to partner successfully with parents, to discover their expectations, and to WOW them- by talking with them about their children! We found the Way to Go!
This article was adapted specifically for eSchool News from Dr. Mary Beth Gaertner’s Way to Go! A research-based strategy for establishing a positive relationship between parents and teachers, which is now available through AuthorHouse.
978-1-4567-3642-2 (SC-ISBN)
Schumacher, R. (2007). Bridging the Communication Gap: The Value of Intentional Positive Teacher- Initiated Communication. (Available from the Lutheran Educational Journal Volume 142, No. 2.. 104-125.)
Debruyn, R. (1999). Understanding and Relating to Parents …Professionally. The MASTER Teacher, Inc., Manhattan, Kansas.
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