Balanced Communication in the Parent-Teacher Relationship
"The blame game." Everyone
plays it; in fact you've probably played it since you were on the playground.
Sally hit Johnny with the ball but said it was you. In the grown up world, the
blame game can look like coworkers playing the field for their promotion at
your loss. In education, the blame game has a lot of players but the top two
contenders are parents and teachers. Student achievement via testing is a growing
worry for parents and teachers alike. How much curriculum can be taught outside
of the test material? How well did your child perform on the test when the
teacher did not teach to the test?
Cooperation between parents and
teachers is a critical necessity for the successful education of any student.
Parents know their children better than anyone, but teachers see the children
in an educational environment which brings out different qualities. It comes
down to the fact that parental choice and input is one of the most important
elements of any educational environment. Because children spend 70% of their
time outside of school, parental education is one of the primary vehicles for
student learning. (Facts About Parental Involvement)
The blame game between parents and
teachers is an unproductive and ineffective way to improve student
comprehension and achievement. Accomplishing bold changes for a struggling
student is a difficult process which requires the full cooperation between the
educational system and the parents. The parents should always feel like they
have autonomy when it comes to what they feel is best for their child and
should make time to take part in their child's education in the home
environment.
However, parents should work with
teachers to best understand the needs of their child in the context of their
education. While parents may not be the direct supervisor of teachers, parents
are the ones who should be consulted in regard to what is best for their child.
Open communication between teachers and parents is key to the educational
partnership and the academic success of the students. Student interests are
best represented by the parents, not the government, or any school system -
public or private.
