Parent and teacher relationships that have a focused goal of supporting the child can have many academic and social benefits.
These benefits may not be immediately visible, but we know that strong parent-teacher relationships can result in benefits for children including:
- regular school attendance and improved academic results
- a positive attitude towards school
- positive social and relationship skills
- higher likelihood of school completion
- progression to tertiary education
Relationships between parents and teachers will always differ depending on the child and their school (its culture and practices), but by keeping the child at the focus of this relationship, children won’t be the only ones to benefit!
Keep children at the centre of the parent/teacher relationships by:
- Considering interaction from the child’s perspective
Tune into the child’s experience for ideas on how to best collaborate. - Forming a collaborative partnership
Parents and teachers have different areas of expertise, and can support children at home or at school in different but complementary ways. Parents will know their child better than anyone, but teachers will see a different side to children in a classroom or school environment. - Tuning into your own feelings
Self-awareness can enhance the building of strong, positive relationships between home and school. - Keeping up to date with the child’s home/school experience
If the child is experiencing stressors like bullying, divorce, illness or grief, this will have an impact on their education. Informal chats at school drop-off and pickup times, or even a phone call or email between parents and teachers, can make a big difference.
Visit raisingchildren.net.au for some more great ideas on strengthening connections between home and school.
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