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Effective Communication With Your Teen’s Teachers

Keeping track of your teen’s academic progress can be difficult. Most teens don’t volunteer much information and they don’t like answering a bunch of questions. So, what’s a well-meaning parent to do?

Communicating with your teen’s teachers on a regular basis can be a big help in your quest to know what’s going on with your teen’s school work. Not only will the communication help you to keep abreast of grades and progress, it will benefit the teacher as well.

Think of yourself as being a partner with the teacher, you help each other in providing what is best for your teen. You each have different contributions to make and they are equally important. You need information from the teacher so that you can be an extension of the classroom. The teacher needs information from you about any problems or concerns so that she is better equipped to help your child at school. The bottom line is, the more information each of you has from the other, the better chance your teen has of being academically successful. I have seen drastic improvements in a student’s performance once the student realized that their parents and I were communicating frequently, and honestly, about his performance and how to provide what was best for him.

The most important thing to remember in any communication with a teacher is that you both want the same thing, and that’s for your teen to be successful. But you need to remember, teachers are very busy. You’ll get better communication and responses from them if you make it as quick and easy for them as possible. Don’t feel like you’re bothering them, it’s part of their job to give you feedback. But the easier you can make it for them, the better job they will be able to do in communicating with you.

It is a good idea to simply ask each teacher what their preferred method of communication is. One of mine was by email. Phone calls are fine, but teachers aren’t available by phone during much of the school day. Email can by checked quickly and answered easier than returning a phone call. Of course, sometimes you do need that human contact, depending on what the communication is about.

Just like teachers, you also have a very busy life! So make the most of any communication by being prepared. Be proactive. Have it clear in your mind what you want to ask or convey. Be concise and direct, have any questions or concerns written down.

Finally, my experience has shown me that the way in which you present yourself during communication with a teacher can have just as much impact as the actual information exchange itself. Be calm, level-headed, and informed. Even if you disagree with or have a problem with the teacher, be polite. You will easily lose all credibility if your approach is filled with blame and anger. Remember, you and the teacher want the same thing!!

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