Most parents want what’s best for their children, but there’s a fine line between healthy parent involvement and being a helicopter parent. Parent involvement in early childhood education has a dramatic impact on a child’s success. Now that the school year is in full swing, here are five ways you can support your child’s teacher without becoming “that parent.”
1. Introduce yourself
One parent resource most schools provide is a back-to-school night. This is a great time to introduce yourself to the teacher face-to-face. This is by no means the time to launch into a conversation about your child’s strengths and weaknesses as a student, but a quick meet and greet gives you the opportunity to put a face to a name, and it sends a clear message to the teacher that you care about your child’s learning experience. If you can’t make it to the open house, send a quick introductory email.
2. Talk to your child about what he is learning in school
By making it a habit at home to talk about what your child is learning at school, you are reinforcing both the value of education and the lessons from that day. Ask your child to teach you the material or explain why he thinks it’s important. Research confirms we retain information more thoroughly and for a longer period of time when we have to explain it to someone else.
3. Get all the information before jumping to conclusions
It is inevitable your child will face challenges at school, whether it be with a peer, the content of a class or with the teacher. It is also natural to want to protect your child and defend him at all costs. Unfortunately, sometimes kids don’t always tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth when in these situations. There’s nothing wrong with emailing the teacher, but make sure you do it when you are clear-minded and calm. Nobody benefits from an emotionally charged accusation.
4. Be proactive
Teachers can best support your student when they have all the necessary information. If your child has a severe allergy or an academic accommodation, you probably filled out paperwork sharing that information. However, it is important to keep the teacher updated if there are changes throughout the school year. It is also important to inform teachers in advance if your child will be missing school due to vacations, appointments, etc. And don’t be shy to contact the teacher if your child is struggling with academic material. The teacher can offer activities or exercises to practice at home to strengthen these areas.
5. Say thank you
In most schools, teachers serve in loco parentis. This means teachers act on behalf of the student as a parent, including caring for him or her socially and emotionally in addition to educating the student academically. That’s quite a challenging mission! A quick email, phone call or handwritten thank you card goes a long way. If you like a lesson the teacher shared or your child really enjoys going to school or the teacher went out of his or her way to follow up with your child, say thank you. In an often thankless profession, a genuine acknowledgment from parents and students can support a teacher more than you know.
