The 125th National Parent Teacher Association convention happened early this year in June. During the convention, First Lady Jill Biden had the opportunity to speak and discuss the strength behind a healthy parent-teacher relationship and the effect it can have on our students.
“Parents, we know that we are our children’s first teachers. And educators, we choose this path because we love what we do and who we teach,” Biden said. “Together, we can lead the change that our children need.”
In order to succeed in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, parents and educators must partner together. With that being said, here are five ways parents can best support teachers this school year.
1. Engage in Your Child’s Learning
Being involved in your child’s learning as a parent can go a long way, especially for students who are struggling with post-pandemic learning loss. By providing your child with the help they need as they work through homework and practice new skills, they feel supported in school and at home.
By providing your child with a dedicated workspace, you can help to encourage the learning experience at home. Remember, your child’s homework is NOT your homework. Providing assistance on writing prompts or math questions is okay, but only when your child is at a complete halt. Instead, be patient and push them to tap into the skills they are learning in school to apply directly to their homework.
2. Create Healthy Habits
Setting the grounds for healthy habits proves to be beneficial both at home and in the classroom. Ensure that you speak respectfully about your child’s teachers, teach them manners, and enforce routines. Hold your child accountable for their actions. The actions that they see at home reflect in the classroom.
Ensure your child is keeping up with an appropriate sleep schedule, eating healthy meals to support brain development, communicating their feelings before they become a problem, and monitoring the media that they are taking in on a regular basis.
3. Donate Classroom Supplies
Many teachers are forced to pay out of pocket for classroom supplies. Be mindful of this and make sure your child is prepared with all the tools they need to be successful in the classroom. By setting your child up with their own pencils, crayons, paper, etc., the less the teacher has to take out of their salary to stock up for students who are ill-prepared.
On top of student supplies, it is always a treat for teachers to receive classroom products such as tissues, disinfecting wipes, staples, pencil sharpeners, and more.
4. Provide At-Home Learning Resources
By filling your home with resources such as books and other forms of literature, you are encouraging the “reading to learn” aspect of literacy development. Literacy is fundamental to all learning, whether it be reading about scientific discoveries or solving word problems in math.
Head to your local library for an endless supply of books to keep your child’s imagination flowing and build upon the literacy instruction they are experiencing in the classroom.
5. Communicate with Your Child’s Teacher Often
Parents, it is very important to provide your correct contact information to your child’s teacher at the beginning of the school year. That way, if they are noticing any changes in behavior or classroom performance, they can communicate those changes with you and work with you to resolve any issues that may be affecting their learning experience.
This is also a great way to partner with your child’s teacher to make sure your child is completing assignments, asking for help when needed, and getting along well with other students. Many times the communication between parents and teachers can happen too late, making the situation larger than it could have been had it been addressed at an earlier time.
Communicate often and communicate everything.
Build a Strong Parent-Teacher Relationship
As an educator, parent, or both, you have the opportunity to make a lifelong impact on students and shape their future success. So, always provide a positive educational experience to encourage learning now and in the future.
Parents, be sure to advocate for your child’s teacher and support them and your child through every step of their learning years. Encourage students to do their best and achieve greatness.
To learn more about how IMSE best supports parents and educators through Structured Literacy Professional Development, check out our site!
Please connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest to get tips and tricks from your peers and us. Read the IMSE Journal to hear success stories from other schools and districts, and be sure to check out our digital resources for refreshers and tips.