I once had a professor in my teacher preparation program state that the biggest influence on a child's success in the classroom is the teacher- not the curriculum, the room, or even a child's intellect. Teachers do their best, but with many of them serving large numbers of students, partnerships with families is where real growth can happen. As I speak with teachers, they know they need to reach out to parents- but many of them are honestly so exhausted at the end of the day that they cannot bring themselves to do it until parent-teacher conferences. At that point, students are playing catch-up and parents feel overwhelmed.
As parents, we have the power to ask questions, listen, strategize and then praise teachers for the effort they have already poured in. Teachers want to know they are not alone and are appreciated. The best compliment for an educator to hear is how they are making a difference. Teachers WANT your child to succeed. So, if you know that your child: has vision issues, loves challenges, can be chatty, struggles with homework, is dealing with strife, etc... tell the teacher. They want to know. They want to help. It is their passion.
If you ever need help communicating with your child's school or teacher, I would be honored to help create a positive framework for any conversation.
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