Principal
Building Strong Working Relationships With Teachers
The first six weeks of term have flown by, and we are coping with an even more complex situation regarding schooling. When we were all in lockdown, we successfully pivoted to Remote Learning with all our lessons digitised and interaction with students maintained with students via Teams.
We now find ourselves challenged by a “hybrid” model of teaching. We have a substantial number of students at home recovering from COVID-19 or isolating as household contacts. Teachers are working very hard to keep in touch with those students at home whilst managing the students right in front of them each day. Teachers’ email inboxes have been flooded with notifications of these situations because we do not publish a master list. This would be a breach of privacy. Information is shared with class teachers on a need-to-know basis.
Most of the parent correspondence at St Patrick’s College is reasonable and respectful and much welcomed. We can only keep improving and helping our students if there is open communication between school and home. However, some correspondence that I have read is terse, negative, and unreasonable. Parents forget we are actually teaching boys right in front of us, plus yard and other duties before and after school, recess, and lunch.
It is timely to reflect on how to build strong, healthy working relationships with teachers for the ultimate benefit of the students.
Studies show that healthy parent–teacher relationships are a more significant factor in student success than parent income levels or social status. Parent–teacher relationships require effort and energy from both parties if they are going to really benefit children and young people. These key strategies will help you build a healthy working relationship with teachers in the year ahead.
Get to know them
For your partnership to be meaningful and successful, you need to meet with your son’s teacher(s) when the opportunity is provided, with the goal of forming a respectful professional relationship. Be willing to share your aspirations for your son and be willing to build the teacher’s knowledge about your family. For balanced perspective, also gain an understanding of the teacher’s approach and what focus areas they have for their particular year group. This can be done formally by attending start of the year information evenings and informally through conversations, reading newsletters and staying in touch digitally and in real-time.
Trust their professionalism
Children need to know that their parents are fully behind what their teachers are trying to achieve if they are going to commit fully to learning. The best way to support your son’s teacher is to trust their knowledge, professionalism, and experience. Avoid the temptation to question the expertise of teachers in front of students, particularly when the teachers use methods that you are unfamiliar with. Initiate conversations with teachers around methodology to give them the chance to explain the approach they are taking.
Go through the right channels
Despite the best teaching practices things do go wrong at school. Kids experience learning difficulties. Conflict and peer rejection happen. Kids will often come home from school with grievances and call on you for assistance. Resist the urge to react emotionally. If you need to contact teachers, do so respectfully, calmly and through the correct channels. A measured response will generally achieve the best result for your son. I am always happy to receive your feedback but there is no way I could possibly deal with each matter. There is a lot to running a large school so if an issue is delegated to a member of staff, it is not an attempt to avoid the issue. Rather, it’s an attempt to expedite the matter and sort it out.
Stay solution-focused
When problems arise at school, particularly pertaining to a child’s learning or wellbeing, avoid taking a fixed position to your son's teacher(s). Gather the facts as best you can and present your concerns but remain flexible to gain an outcome that’s both obtainable and in the best interests of your child. Parent-teacher relationships can easily falter when one or both parties take a firm position about a problem and are unwilling to give ground. Young boys are notorious at omitting vital information about a matter that usually gives a different nuance to the problem!
Utilise their resources
Teachers and schools often put a lot of work into sourcing and sharing credible resources that they think will help parents/carers. Take the time to read, utilise and enjoy the information provided to you. It's intended to make your parenting journey easier, which will also benefit your child not just at school, but at home.
Build links to student learning
There’s a huge body of research that points to the correlation between parent engagement in student learning and their educational success. If you want your son to improve his learning, take an interest in what he is doing. Follow school and teacher guidelines about helping at home and attend as many conferences, meetings and events involving your son as possible. This strategy has a significant, long-term impact on your son’s attitude to learning.
Stay in touch
Life’s not always smooth sailing for kids of any age. Family circumstances change. Friends move away. Illness happens. Mental health challenges can hit anyone at any time. These changes affect learning. Make sure that you keep teachers up to date with significant changes or difficulties that your child or young person experiences so they can accommodate your child's emotional and learning needs at school.
Be loyal
Show your loyalty to your son’s teachers by being an advocate. Talk positively about your son’s teacher(s) and the College, rather than being negative about them when speaking in the wider community. Teachers hold very public positions and generally work hard to build good reputations both within their school and their wider education community. Consider a teacher’s reputation among the community and with children when you discuss educational matters with others. I am often disturbed when shown some of the comments parents post in large WhatsApp groups. It is one-sided, often negative, personal, and inappropriate. It hurts me when I see parents posting information that identifies a student or a teacher and then their reputations are trashed with no recourse or right of reply.
In closing
Building healthy relationships with your son’s teacher(s) doesn’t just happen. It takes goodwill from both sides, a commitment to setting aside the time necessary to support the home-based learning tasks that are expected, and a willingness to communicate concerns and commendations through the correct channels.
In Memoriam
We keep Brandon Law (Year 8) in our prayers on the recent passing of his grandfather.
Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace. Amen.
Dr Vittoria Lavorato
Principal
SPC boys can do anything!
** except divide by zero