There are a few fundamental basis of communication that differs it from being successful or mediocre. Trust, mutual understanding and respect root itself deeply in an effective communication (Lawrence-Lightfoot, 2004).
To understand why these basis are so important we look into the perspective of the one we want to communicate effectively with; parents.
There are all sorts of parents; from the parent that ask a question daily each time they send and fetch their child to school, to the parent that comes into the principal office demanding for explanations. They all have one thing in common, is their concern for their child that seemingly has exceeded everything else. They place their utmost precious person in the hands of strangers (educators) they have barely known. Some parents might have the chance to interact with the educators for the first three days or first week of school when they get the opportunity to enter the classroom to observe class.
However, the issue is in that short time spend, how much will parents get to know about this stranger that will be with their child for almost a quarter or half of the day. Hence, when issues about the child occur in class, parents can be quick to be defensive and cynical.
Parents do not necessary have to find out everything about the educator. To be able to see a common goal is key to a two-way communication. In this case, it would be to place the child’s interest as priority (Gustafson, 1998). It is important for educators to take the initiative to allow a trusting relationship to develop. To do so, educators can show parents that they are concern about the children as well and they do not just teach.
