Collaborating with Your Child’s Teachers: Tip 2
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Our last blog kicked-off a series with tips and strategies to help folks make meaningful connections with the people who will be supporting their learner(s) throughout the new school year.
If you missed it, check it out here!
As a quick recap, we painted a picture of how unmanageable the “to-do” lists are for staff at the start of the year. We focused on the importance of combining the “what,” with the “how/when” of our message of collaboration. We discussed how well-timed encounters tend to lead to more effective communication and collaboration throughout the year.
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Our second tip to help you establish a solid foundation for effective collaboration is…
Offer to help with their to-do lists.
Please note that this content is written with the assumption that the learner does not have an IEP, Section 504, and/or Health Plan. Follow the school’s protocol to get in contact with the designated staff/case managers.
Educators have extremely long to-do lists at the start of the year. Often times, they are coming to school an hour or two early, and leaving when the custodians kick them out at night.
Think about your available resources, and offer some of these to school staff.
If you’ve got free time in your schedule…volunteer to help around the building! If you’ve got some extra financial resources, see how you can supplement their budget to offset some of the costs that they are often paying for out of their own pocket. If you have artistic skills, see how you can beautify the school. More of a social butterfly? Offer to help organize other community members to support the school’s priorities and initiatives! You get the point…You know your strengths, and you also know the limitations that are unique to you and your family. Use what you’ve got to be a blessing to the folks trying to welcome a building full of kids. Here are some tasks that could be useful to your learner’s school community:
· Cutting and laminating,
· Working on a bulletin board,
· Volunteering to help with lunch and recess,
· Offering to buy some school supplies for the classroom (Tissues and Hand Sanitizer go extremely fast in a classroom),
· Offering to help set-up an Amazon classroom wishlist,
· Offering to help communicate with the other parents/caregivers in the classroom,
· Making copies,
· Making food or treats for them, etc.
You probably already have a good idea of what could be useful at your learner's school, so feel free to offer to help with it! Also, you can leave it open-ended to get a better idea of what they might need help with.
If they say no, don't take it personally. Again, it's a stressful time of year, and sometimes finding the time to email back in a timely manner might be enough of an obstacle that they decide it's better to just do it themselves.
If they say yes, follow through! Try not to add stress to the environment. Focus on building “social capital” by doing your best to be a non-threatening and accepting addition to their space.
Introduce yourself, inform them that you are looking forward to partnering together this year, and briefly mention your child, then follow their lead. If they want to chat, go ahead. If not, consider saying something about how “their plate is really full right now, but you'd love to schedule a 15 minute conversation with them when they're available once things are in full-swing.”
By doing so, you're communicating from the start that you respect them, their career, and their time. Respect is a critical component of the foundation for collaboration; It is seldom intentionally communicated early-on.
We hope these suggestions help you demonstrate your commitment to being a contributing member of the team. Stay tuned for more tips to start the school year on a path to success!
Best,
Evan Gallena, Ed.S., NCSP
Founder & Lead-Consultant: GPS Education Consulting L.L.C.
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Email Evan@GPSEducationConsulting.net with questions!
Together, as one… Navigating the path to school success!
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