Key to A Positive Working Relationship with Parents

As teachers, we are so busy with our jobs that we are thinking of many things at once when doing one thing. That is why we tend to miss out on things that are less prominent, such as body language and actions. 

This might be why we are less able to detect problems or things that parents want to tell us. If we take the time to really listen, we will learn something as the messages are really quite prominent. 

Our society is undergoing rapid social change, so in order to get to know the children whom we are teaching in our classrooms, we need to understand not only what they know academically, but about their life at home and what they go through everyday.

As our children are still young, most of them are not able to tell us, so the next best way is to listen to their parents. 

According to Lisa Delpit (1995), "Parents are not only 'experts on their own lives', but also experts on the lives of their children (pp. 46-47)".

By bringing both the teacher's expertise and the parents' guidance, then there is more common ground to support the children's learning. 

Here are a few steps to get you started: 

1. Discard old assumptions about children and their families. If you start with a biased opinion, you are most likely to base anything and everything the parents or child says on that bias. 

2. Make your classroom an inviting place. By ensuring your classroom is a clean and comfortable place, it encourages parents to open up more. 

3. Listen. Sometimes, parents just come to us for a listening ear. By providing them with an outlet, you can learn more about the child's life at home. By listening with openness and sincerity, you can develop a trusting relationship with parents which can make collaborating with them easier. 

In conclusion, when parents and teachers collaborate effectively, children are most likely to benefit and succeed (National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education, n.d.). Hence, teachers should learn the art of good listening. 

References

Delpit, L. (1995). Other people's children: Cultural conflict in the classroom. New York: New Press.

Loftis, B. (2011, May 1). How to (Really) Listen to Parents. Retrieved September 8, 2014, from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/may11/vol68/num08/How-to-(Really)-Listen-to-Parents.aspx

National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education. (n.d.) Research review and resources. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved fromwww.ncpie.org/WhatsHappening/researchJanuary2006.cfm.