Building Partnerships with Teachers
How to Use Your Child’s Strengths to Help Them Grow and Glow
Needless to say, when the adults in a child’s life form an authentic partnership surrounding a certain little person or goal, everyone benefits! So how do you do this? Here are some steps to developing a good partnership with your child’s teacher.
Step One: Going into these partnerships with the right mindset. Sometimes, simply making the decision that you are going to view this person as another important grown-up in your child’s life is enough to set things on the right track.
Step Two: Keeping the lines of communication open. If you have concerns, discuss them. If you’re not sure about how a particular routine or activity will work for your child, ask the teacher about it. If you or your child needs support in a particular area, bring it to the teacher’s attention.
Step Three: Honoring each other’s expertise. To be sure, a parent is the expert about their child. Early childhood professionals bring to the table an understanding of child development and learning styles, as well as experience with a variety of children. Together, you can help support your child as they grow!
The Partnership Process
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Many schools have parent-teacher conferences. This is a time for parents to come into the classroom to meet with teachers about their child’s development. I was thinking about my time in the classroom and a phrase I used to use with parents during these meetings.
Our combined perspective can help better guide your child towards success.
I can help you approach your conferences with questions to help interpret their assessment of your child's progress both in the conference and through analysis of their report card. I’m here to help you understand your child’s educational journey and support their cognitive and social readiness so you both can be successful.
