Clear and Present Communication - the importence of parent-teacher communication PDF

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Explanation on the role parent-teacher communication plays in classroom discipline....

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Clear and Present Communication: The importance of parent-teacher communication

University of the Peoples EDUC 5240: Creating Positive Classroom Environments Shih-Ting Lee May 27, 2020

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In education, clear communication between all stakeholders (district administration, school administration, teacher, parents, and student) is paramount to the success of educating the student, which is mostly measured by the student meeting the established benchmarks or obtaining high marks on End of Course/ State Assessments. According to Independent School Management, “A recent study investigated how the relationships between parents and teachers can influence student progress. Researchers found that a positive, effective relationship between parents and teachers can help students prosper” (Independent School Management (ISM), 2018). The premise according to (Hue & Wai-shing, 2008, p. 166): Miss Lee is the form tutor of a boy, Siu Ming. He is regarded as a bright and responsible student, but Miss Lee has noticed that lately he has become quiet and has seemingly lost interest in learning. Whenever he is asked about this, Siu Ming does not want to say much, and responds listlessly, “I am fine. Maybe I have spent too much time on computer games at night”, but Miss Lee doubts this explanation. This rhetoric will be examining the importance and effectiveness of parent-teacher communication by discussing a solution to a posed scenario of a teacher having academic issues with one of her pupils. Keep open the lines of communication Before Ms. Lee has any issues in the class, she has to keep the communication lines open. This way, when an issue transpires, the parents are not surprised by the behavior notification. Also, this step buys the teacher credibility points because, speaking from experience, parents hate it when their child’s teacher calls when there is an issue and it is the first time they are having a conversation with the teacher. This means that Ms. Lee needs to have a method to keep

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parents and students updated on events and action items that have and will transpire within the learning environment. This can be done through a newsletter, Remind 101 app, teacher website (this is only for general information items, not confidential items like behavior concerns), Class Dojo (a free perfect electronic behavior tracking system that updates parents/students in realtime, if the teacher is consistent with updating the system. Kids love this app as well because as the teacher awards points for meeting expectations, they get visual and auditorial feedback), or the paper method of a behavior chart. It is the consistency that endears parents and students to teachers. A bright and responsible student does not immediately become quiet and loose interest in learning overnight. Something is transpiring and since the student is not opening up to the teacher then the teacher needs to refer the issue to the parents. According to a Special Education guide to parents on how to monitor their Special Education child's academic progress, “Without question, you should be speaking with your child’s teacher regularly. If your child is doing well, you should be speaking weekly. If your child is struggling, you should be speaking several times a week, or even daily. Keeping the lines of communication open between the teacher and the parent is the best way to prevent misunderstandings or escalating situations” (Special Education Guide, n.d.). Communication is the key to resolving issues. No communication equates to no resolution. Build Relationships Part of keeping an open line of communication is building relationships. Building relationships is key in dealing with students and parents alike. It has been experienced several times, on both levels, parents, and students, how positive relationships was the tool used to get a student refusing to work for one teacher to do will work for another. Why did that happen? The student hated the other teacher because she felt like she was being bullied by her teacher. She felt

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that she could do no right in the eyes of her teacher. On the other hand, the teacher that got her to complete the work, gave her consistent praise and accolades when it was necessary and appropriate but the teacher also disciplined/ redirected her when necessary as well. The teacher gave her responsibilities within the classroom, built up her leadership skills, and earned her trust. The student, in turn, went home daily giving her teacher all the glory by raving about her “ favorite” teacher to her parents. The teacher would call home constantly as well to give updates to the child’s parents both the good and the bad as well as telling the parent how they would help in their daughter’s education at home. An educational blog states, “Of course, at the end of a long day, the last thing you probably want to do is to make a bunch of calls (or even one). But calls can help you build rapport with parents, and they allow you to instantly communicate students’ progress (or lack thereof)” (Karbowski, 2019). To build relationships, the lines of communication must be open. It does not have to be a phone call every day, it could also be a daily progress report sent home in a conduct folder. Parent Engagement When the best-built relationships and the most wide-open lines of communication are not enough, engage the parent. Parent involvement in the learning process can do wonders for the learning environment. One sure way to get both the parent and the student on your side is to fully get them engaged in the learning process. This does not mean to just invite the parent for just open house, parent night, or coffee with principal/counselor. It means to invite the parent to help out in the classroom during actual instruction, be it in or out of the classroom. Waterford discovered research that states, “when parents are involved at school, the performance of all the children at school, not just their own, tends to improve. The more comprehensive and well planned the partnership between school and home, the higher the student achievement”

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(Waterford, n.d.). This highlights the point that the more engaged the parents and students are in the learning process the better it would be for all parties involved not just for the student or the parent but for the teacher as well. Is not one of the main goals of education is high student achievement? The second benefit of having engaged parents and students is receiving first-hand knowledge of parent concerns that could be addressed by the teacher or school. Waterford continues to state, “A school striving for parent engagement, on the other hand, tends to lead with its ears—listening to what parents think, dream, and worry about (Waterford, n.d.).” In closing, the possible solution to Miss Lee’s dilemma is keeping open the lines of communication, building relationships, and keep parents engaged throughout the learning process. This possible solution is a continuum of actions enacted by the teacher. The teacher is the one that initiates communication by the 1st day and keeps it open until that last and sometimes, even longer than that. The teacher initiates the building relationships process with both the student and the parent on day one. If the teacher fails to build relationships then the learning process is doomed from the start. Parents and students will not put their trust in someone they do not have a relationship with just like people will not follow a leader if there is no trust in that leader. Thoughtful continuous engagement keeps all parties actively involved in the learning process. Engagement connect all parties to the learning process. The adage idle hands is the devil’s workshop is apt in this discussion because a student not engaged is a student causing trouble. Likewise, when parents are not engaged it means no parental support for the teacher. A car cannot start if it is not fully engaged and connected to the battery. If the heart is not fully engaged in pumping blood throughout the body then the body dies. Kimberly Blitch stats in her dissertation, “If we want children to thrive in child care settings, then it makes sense to intentionally build positive relationships with the adults who play the

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largest roles in the children's daily lives: their parents. Good communication is essential for building those relationships, but good communication doesn’t just happen (Blitch, 2017).”

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References Blitch, K. (2017). Parent-Teacher Relationships and Communication in Early Childhood: A Comparative, Mixed Methods Study of White and Ethnic-Racial Minority Parents. Lincoln: Public Access Theses and Dissertations from the College of Education and Human Sciences, University of NebraskaLincoln. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1290&context=cehsdiss Hue, M.-t., & Wai-shing, L. (2008). Classroom Management: Creating a Positive Learning Environment. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. Retrieved from http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/univ-people-ebooks/detail.action?docID=677299 Independent School Management (ISM). (2018, April 18). The Importance of Positive Parent-Teacher Relationships. Retrieved from ISM - Academic Leadership: https://isminc.com/advisory/publications/the-source/the-importance-of-positive-parentteacher-relationships Karbowski, D. (2019, March 11). Six Tips for Communicating Student Progress to Parents. Retrieved from Adoptaclassroom.org: https://www.adoptaclassroom.org/2019/03/11/six-tips-forcommunicating-student-progress-toparents/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8umQwp3V6QIVh7zACh1vLA1CEAAYASAAEgKoKfD_BwE Special Education Guide. (n.d.). The Parent-Teacher Partnership: Where to Turn When You Have Concerns. Retrieved from SpecialEducationGuide.com: https://www.specialeducationguide.com/pre-k-12/the-parent-teacher-partnership/where-toturn-when-you-have-concerns/ Waterford. (n.d.). 3 Ways to Take Parent Engagment to a Meaningful Family Partnership. Retrieved from https://owncloud.waterford.org/index.php/s/hLp1dA4RuHYVoFy...