PARENTS AND TEACHERS GETTING ON THE SAME TEAM.
In this day and age, everybody is stressed and nobody has got the time. Parents are working harder than ever, and teachers have larger classrooms and more responsibilities. Believe me, if everybody had time and more resources, there would be a lot less friction between parents and schools. But that’s not the case, so we just have to live with that and figure out how to manage it the best way we can. After all, we have the common goal of wanting our children to behave responsibly and get an education. Schools have a legitimate interest in kids getting an education and learning how to become independent.
Parent and teachers should be on the same team, but sadly, often they’re not. There was a time when teachers and parents worked together – where if a teacher called a parent, the parent really worked on changing their child’s behavior. Kids were held accountably at home. It’s not often that way anymore. Now parents are often blaming the teachers and the kids play both ends against the middle. Kids can be highly manipulative in this area. I think parents, and teachers should work hard at being on the same team. I think the parent’s role is “How can we help and work together to get this child on track”.
I’ve heard a lot of stories about bad teachers. I believe most teachers are trying their best. The truth is, you have to really try to work with the teacher your child gets. If there is an issue, I recommend you go to that teacher and talk about it. And if that doesn’t work, then go to the administrator and try to set up some meetings. Just realize that the more arduous the relationship between the parents and the school are, the more your child is going to suffer – and the more they are going to get away with. Don’t forget, when parents and teachers fight, nobody wins. And at the end result, is that your child doesn’t feel he has to change his behavior at all. If your child has been labelled a trouble maker and he/she has chronic behavior or attitude problems, its crucial that you are able to communicate with his teacher and the school. I think if you can develop a working relationship around a child who has these problems, it becomes a lot easier to support that teacher in his or her efforts.
Communication and compromise are a huge part of parenting and working with your child’s school.
Please let me know what you think, and thanks for your time, until next time. Bye for now.
Positive Parenting With Olu 