Advocating for your Child

I am constantly coaching parents on how to advocate for their child when things tend to go "offline" at school.  The most important thing to remember is that you are sending your "best" to school and that message needs to be conveyed to your child's educator.  In other words, when your child misbehaves or is floundering on a specific topic, it is important that the message you give your child's educator is that you haven't chosen to send a second rate child to school but rather this child needs to be supported so that they can achieve their best.

When working with your child's teacher it is important  that you are working as a team to enhance your child's learning experience.  Opening lines of communication is one aspect that is going to create a real difference in your child's experience at school.  Please be aware that opening lines of communication does not mean coming down on your child's teacher because of a story or event that your child came home with.  It is important to get all three sides of each story so that you are collaborating with your childs teacher and not just pointing fingers.

One large mistake that many parents make is beginning conversations on the attack.  By doing this you are sure to get your child's teachers back up and virtually tarnish the relationship you have with him/her for the remainder of the year.

Ask questions:

1. How is my child socializing with the other students?
2. If there are any areas that you think we should support our child at home, what are they?
3. What are the times that my child could come for extra help?
4. What would be the best way for me to communicate effectively with you, knowing that you have a large class and your time is limited?

Asking questions gives your child's teacher a chance to give there perspective on how to support your child at home.  This also opens the lines of communication in a collaborative way where you are working as a team to make sure that your "best" can achieve their best at school!