AboutPatricia Ireland-Williams Expertise I am a retired K-12 Public School Principal (8 years as a teacher and counselor) and 23 years as an administrator. I can help parents with questions about how the system works, provide ideas on how to solve school issues or assist teachers in coping with the plethera of stressors they face.
Experience I am currently an educational consultant and have served on the State of Arizona Solutions Team.
Question Hello,
I am a high school teacher in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. I am also a writer. Presently, I am drafting an article on parent teacher communication, a subject much discussed at teacher lunch tables and family dinner tables. The thrust of the article is preparing parents to talk to teachers…productively. This is a bit of a departure. Usually, the coaching is directed toward the teacher. In the article, I want to include anecdotes or ideas from teachers and administrators. What would you recommend to parents on opening a productive dialogue with a teacher? What benefits will this reap? Do you have an anecdote of a communication gone wrong? Or right?
We have all been in situations where a parent for no evident reason starts out ready for battle. Unless we keep our tempers cool and remain objective, the situation worsens. In the article, I will address ways in which parents can approach teachers to avoid such confrontations and include teacher perspective on common issues, such as “My teacher said….” and “My teacher hates me.”
In my effort to reach readers through example and insight of professional educators, I am asking you to share your knowledge and experience. If I use your information, I will include your name, title, and school district. In addition, I will inform you of publication. Thank you for your time. I hope your summer is restful and satisfying.
Sincerely,
Robin Farr
Answer Robin.........this is an often published topic and you can find hundreds of articles on it. One of the many organizations which have excellent material is National PTA as well as most major magazines and newspapers which focus on this topic in their back to school editions. There are many articles for parents on how to prepare for a parent teacher conference. Many years ago I offered a "make and take" class for all new parents to our school which focused on the topic. To summarize, the best advice I can give is that the parent should come to the school with a specific list of questions and they should also ask how they can support what is being taught in school on a daily basis. Most importantly, the parent needs to be involved on an on going basis, not just at parent conferences. Volunteering on a weekly basis is an excellent way of doing this.
Best wishes on your article. I am sure that a simple internet search will yield many articles for your research.
