|
Introduction
It’s still September and you’re beginning to have problems with one of the students - significant problems. Problems that warrant a phone call to their mom or dad. You know that you need to let them know what’s going on, but you procrastinate. You feel awful that you haven’t even met the parents yet and you have to call and give these virtual strangers the bad news of “Your child is having trouble making good decisions in school.”
Every teacher dreads this type of situation. Every parent dreads this situation. But, with a little work and planning, this, and many other unpleasant interactions with parent can be avoided. How? By understanding why parents may be difficult and by developing positive communications with them right from the start. When you first establish this type of positive rapport, all future interactions will be taken seriously and generally without challenge. If they do find a need to challenge your ideas or actions, it will be with the purpose of coming to an understanding or compromise rather than to belittle or degrade you as a professional. As a result of this rapport, your parents will know you and they will begin to understand that you are willing to create a partnership with them to do the best for their child.
In this booklet, you will take a peek into:
- Different types of difficult parents
- Determine the benefits of having parents as partners
- Discover the possible roadblocks to developing positive relationships
- Learning positive strategies to guide our responses
- Developing a plan for positive communication
So, relax! You are on the road to getting parents on your side!
|
