Children benefit when parents and teachers build trust, even as they work through challenging issues. Collabo-Iterate shows parents how to build trust by raising concerns early, listening carefully, iterating toward solutions, recognizing progress, and being patient.
Key Strategies
- Raise concerns early and gently. It’s easier to raise issues gently and with curiosity when you don’t let them fester.
- Listen carefully to what the teacher has to say. You don’t have the full picture of what’s going on and neither does the teacher. Your job is to figure it out together.
- Iterate toward clarity and solutions. You will do the most good for your child when you listen closely to each other and build action plans based on both of your insights.
- Recognize “wins,” even small ones. By taking a moment to appreciate even a small victory, you’re giving yourself and the teacher the energy you need for the road ahead.
- Be patient. Children develop at different paces and in uneven ways. You never know how quickly issues are going to resolve.
Additional Resources
- Article: Parents’ top tips for partnering with your child’s teachers, GreatSchools.org
- Book: Trust in Schools: A Core Resource for Improvement, Anthony S. Bryk and Barbara L. Schneider
Collabo-Iterate