Ten Steps To Successful Parent-School Communication

Many parents feel intimidated when talking to teachers and other education professionals. Teachers certainly have their areas of expertise after having worked with hundreds of students, but YOU are the expert in your child. Your observations and intuitions are valuable, and no one has spent as many hours with your child as you have! The following 10 tips will help boost your confidence so you can share YOUR expertise with school personnel.

1. Before each phone or in-person contact with your child’s school, remind yourself that you are important and have the right to be involved.
2. Prepare. Know in advance what points you want to make and write them down.
3. Bring someone to take notes at your meetings, to be a 2^nd set of ears, and to support you.
4. If you don’t understand something, don’t be afraid to ask questions.
5. Be assertive but not aggressive. Acknowledge their perspective, but respectfully put forth yours.
6. Be prepared to compromise. Think about your priorities for your child. Know in advance what you can be flexible about and what you need to insist upon.
7. Be aware of your nonverbal communication. Lean forward in your seat like an active, confident participant, rather than leaning back like an outside observer, even if you feel like one!
8. You will often leave a meeting thinking, “Darn, I should’ve said…” Don’t worry. Communication skills and assertiveness develop with practice. You can always follow up in writing if you forgot to say something important.
9. Remember to share positive feedback and compliments. Don’t just communicate complaints.
10.  Remind yourself (again) that you are an equal member of your child’s educational team. You have a legal right to participate in decision-making about your child’s education.