Sharing Good Practice
10 Ways to Win Over Your
Students’ Parents
By Betina Fuentes
W
hen teachers are asked
about
their
biggest
challenges,
parent
communication
often
heads the list.
Having positive,
productive relationships with your
students’ parents can become easier
when you follow the tips below.
Get off to the right start. Make sure
you communicate individually with
parents during the first few weeks of
school. Introduce yourself and ask
questions about the parents’ goals for
his or her child. Remember to collect
a contact number where the parent(s)
can be reached easily and provide
your contact information. Emails are
also very useful in keeping in touch
with parents and can be very good
when you need to attach evidence of
a child’s performance, so ask parents
if you can communicate with them via
email.
Communicate regularly
Sending home an electronic or paper
newsletter on the same day each week
helps parents expect and look for
communication from you. Ensure that
your newsletters contain suggestions
of work which parents can do at home
with their children.
Make positive outreach a
priority
Email or send home notes about
students, praising good things the child
has done, so if a correctional email is
needed, you have already established
a good line of communication with the
parents/guardians.
Respond promptly
The quicker you get back to parents,
the better. Help parents know that
they are valued members of the
educational system by responding
quickly and professionally to their
concerns. If you do not have an
answer to their question, respond to
let them know that you are working on
the situation and will let them know as
soon as you have a solution.
Show respect
Conference
Use your most professional language
and always proofread emails before
sending. You represent your school, so
be sure to put your best foot forward.
Many parents respond better face-toface. If there is an ongoing issue, such
as poor behaviour in class, scheduling a
conference may help you to emphasize
the importance of the parents’ role in
changing the behaviour.
Take your time
If an incident occurs at school
that requires your communication
to a parent, give yourself time to
completely describe the incident and
be as objective as possible.
Confidentiality
Never discuss parent communication
with anyone except your supervisor.
Just another part of being professional.
Document, document,
document
Emails are the preferred means of
communication, since there is a paper
trail, proving that you have been in
contact with parents, but if phone calls
are used, be sure to keep a log with
details of when each call was made
and what was discussed.
Be confident
Parents and teachers have the same
goal: to give the very best to their
student. Outlining your expectations
and following up to ensure that they
are enforced, is the best way to show
parents that you are serious about
their child’s well-being, as well as, their
education.
Joining forces with parents is not
challenging, as one may perceive. Keep
in mind that you share common goals
and expectations. Keep a confident
and professional demeanour, and
encourage parents to partner with you
and the school in order to make their
child’s learning experienc H\