What Teachers Want Parents to Know

There is no question that a good teacher-parent relationship is essential to a child’s success in school. In the eyes of a child, teachers—the good ones at least—are the most important people in their lives next to their own parents.

However, there are a number of things about teachers that many parents don’t realize just yet, perhaps because they’re not saying them out loud. Well, Kylie Redford, a teacher for the Marin County Day School, does it for them in an article for The Huffington Post.

School isn’t perfect

One thing teachers want parents like us to know, according to Redford, is that there’s no such thing as a perfect school situation for our kids. We may not like the teacher, or maybe our kid is stuck in a class full of rowdy classmates, but just because things are not perfect doesn’t mean we have to intervene. If anything, we should let our kids develop their coping skills and resiliency by letting them face challenges head-on, and by themselves.

Keep an eye on stressors

That, however, doesn’t mean teachers don’t need your help. A child could face issues outside the classroom that the teacher might not be able to pick up on, so parents have to be a teacher’s “extra set of eyes and ears” to observe and report on various stresses at home and anywhere else that could be taking their toll on the child. That way, they can help come up with solutions and intervene if need be.

Let children take responsibility for mistakes

Children make mistakes, but parents should make an effort not to instinctively protect them from the fallout that comes with those mistakes. According to Redford, parents should let children take responsibility for mistakes they made. That way, they’ll learn a little responsibility and become more competent in the process.

Praise the effort of children

Redford also emphasizes that when praising our kids for anything they achieve in school, we should praise the effort of children, not their “intelligence”. Kids, after all, have a tendency to avoid challenges once they’re labeled as “smart”.  If you praise the effort of children, they will be more likely to take on challenges with gusto. Also, it is important for parents to not give their children overblown compliments just to boost their self-esteem. If parents have any issues with the teacher, then they should bring it up with the concerned person, says Redford. Teachers, after all, aren’t perfect, and sometimes get things wrong.

Personally, I applaud this article by Redford. It is sound advice for all of us parents. Not only will it make teachers’ lives easier – it will also really help our kids.

Click here to read the full article.

Tags: school work

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