10 Ways To Build A Positive Relationship With Your Child's Teacher & The School Community

September 4, 2021

Written By Abena Sey

It’s back to school season.  Not only does this involve incorporating new back to school routines in your family, but also feeling the excitement of meeting new teachers and peers, and creating hopes and aspirations for a new school year.  You want to do all that you can to help your child have a successful experience and to thrive this school year.  Forming a positive relationship with your child’s teacher is fundamental to achieving this goal, because you and your child’s teacher are team members who work towards your child’s academic success.  School is your child’s home away from home, so another critical relationship is the one you have with the school community.  When you have a good relationship with the school this also contributes to building trust and fostering a positive school culture.  Below, I share ways to build a relationship with your child’s teacher followed by steps you can take to build a relationship with the school community.     

Building A Relationship With Your Child’s Teacher

1 - Reach out to your child’s teacher early in the school year to begin forming a relationship.

2 - Stay on top of the teacher’s communications. If there are other ways that you would like to stay in contact with your child’s teacher, simply ask.  Ways teachers communicate with their families include phone calls, emails, newsletters, a website, social media, or the school authority’s learning management system.  Ask your child’s teacher which platform(s) they use and stay connected. 

3 - Provide your child’s teacher and the school secretary with your current contact information, and the best way(s) to reach you.  

4 - Seek clarification from your child’s teacher whenever you have a question or concern.  This could be a question related to your child’s progress academically or socially / emotionally.  It may even be a question clarifying the information in the communication.  If email correspondence makes getting clarification challenging, request a phone call or an in person / virtual meeting.

5 - Communicate frustrations with respect, seeking first to understand.  Express your concerns with the intent to work with your child’s teacher to come up with a plan to solve the problem.  Remember, you and your child’s teacher are a part of your child’s success team.

6 - Seek out extra resources available to support your child’s learning goals.  Take advantage of these resources and follow up with your child’s teacher on your child’s progress.   

7 - Communicate with your child to examine their school day.  Some children readily share what happened in their day, however some children need a little prompting.  Here are some questions that you can ask your child: 

-What was your favourite part of the day?

-Who did you play with today?

-What did you do that was fun today?

-What made you smile / laugh / worry / etc. today?

-What didn’t you like about your day?

***If you do notice any changes in your child’s mood or disposition, it is important to pay attention.  If your child doesn’t share anything that indicates the reason for the change, discuss your observations with your child’s teacher and seek support. 

Building A Relationship With Your Child’s School

8 - Get involved!  Join the school council or parent association.  Subscribe to your school’s social media and contribute.  If possible, volunteer in your child’s school.  If you are not able to volunteer during the school day, inquire about how you can help after school hours.  Some teachers may need help with certain tasks, such as laminating resources, cutting, prepping art projects, etc.  You may choose to donate items, such as books, toys, school supplies, or snacks.  Offer to help your child’s teacher, or other teachers who may need help.  Any help that you can offer will be greatly appreciated. :)

9 - Engage in school community events or activities.  Also, support the teacher’s efforts to build a positive class community and school spirit by helping your child participate in special days / events.

10 - Make connections with other parents in the school community.  You can achieve this by getting involved (suggestion #8) or communicating with parents at the school pick / drop off zone or the playground.  Parents working together with the school achieves the goal of strengthening a positive school community.  A school environment such as this leads to academic achievement.

Establishing a positive relationship with your child’s teacher and the school community is the first step towards ensuring good outcomes for your child this school year.  Make this a priority for your family going into the next school year.  It’s never too late to get involved in your school community; simply stay connected and ask how you can help.