Collaborating with Your Child’s Teachers: Tip 3
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Next up in our series of tips and strategies for fostering collaborative relationships with the people supporting your learner(s) throughout the new school year…
#3: Suit-up and Show-up!
If you missed the first two tips, check them out here, and here!
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Back-To-School Night (BTSN) is likely just around the corner, and it is a great way to get to know your child's teacher and learn about the upcoming school year! Obviously, scheduling conflicts beyond our control can occur, but do try your best to make it to BTSN.
If I had a dollar for every time a teacher said they “wish ____’s parents and caregivers attended BTSN,” I’d be typing this up from a massage chair on a screen big enough to see from the neighbor’s house! Jokes aside, this is an incredible opportunity to establish and improve relationships with the folks that you’re entrusting to help your child learn, make emotional and social growth, and feel safe.
During the pandemic’s early stages, schools became increasingly proficient at using video-conferencing software to reduce barriers to becoming an active member of the school community. If your school isn’t advertising a virtual option and you aren’t able to attend in-person, ask if they could set something up to allow you to support the school!
Previously, we focused on the importance of combining the “what,” with the “how/when” of our message of collaboration. Well…BTSN is one of the best opportunities you’ll get. Obviously, you’ll have a chance to meet your child’s teacher, learn about the curriculum, get a sense of what your child’s learning environment and schedule look like (literally), and make connections with other parents. Other benefits include getting the chance to learn about staff interests, and engaging with them in a context where the topic isn’t about someone having done something wrong. So, don’t miss this opportunity to make positive “social interaction deposits” with the team!
“Withdrawals” will likely happen throughout the year, and these positive encounter “deposits” can be crucial to maintaining a healthy and effective team.
If you would like personalized guidance to get on (and stay on) the path to a successful school year, contact us today!
Another added bonus: the curriculum (most likely) looks a lot different than it did when we were students. This is a great chance to learn about different websites and resources that will help you support your learner’s growth without accidentally teaching them strategies that aren’t emphasized in the curriculum (looking at you, Common Core Math).
While attending, continue to mindfully and intentionally project a message of support, partnership, and respect.
This is also an excellent opportunity to share information about your learner. It can be helpful to create a brief (one page) informative document for staff to better understand your learner’s strengths and needs. Consider including:
Situations and variables that consistently lead to improved learning outcomes (e.g., they are more likely to ask questions if it’s not in front of peers, they benefit from visual supports when learning, etc.)
Situations and variables that often produce sub-optimal learning outcomes (e.g., they are sensitive to corrective feedback in front of others, difficulties planning to accomplish multistep tasks, selecting their own partners for groupwork, etc.)
A few of your learner's hobbies and interests. This can be super helpful for establishing reward systems if needed, or to help them connect less-preferred topics and activities to more engaging and preferred interests (e.g. writing topics, independent reading, presentation styles, etc.)
Top 3 goals that you and your learner have for the year.
Reminders of any supports that your child has in place (e.g., “they have an: IEP, 504, Health Plan, Behavior Intervention / Reinforcement Plan, Interventions/supports that were in place last year, etc..)
We hope the suggestions from this series have been a helpful resource as you trudge the challenging and productive initial miles toward building effective and collaborative relationships with your learner’s new school team. Check out our Services if you’d like some help collaborating with your learner’s team.
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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