Let's take a more in-depth look at why parent communication and involvement is so crucial for all parties.
For the Teacher
"Children have never been very good at listening to their elders but they have never failed to imitate them."
- James Baldwin
For the Student
Children need a strong support system. They need people surrounding them who love and guide them, and want them to succeed. As teachers we are, hopefully, a part of that support system and parents are too! When we invite parents to be part of the classroom, the gaps between the support elements shrink and we can work towards being a circular team around a child. In working with parents, we as teachers show that we are all working together to benefit the child.
For the Parent
To pirate a phrase from a classmate, parents are the teacher of the home. They guide their child through life. They're also legally responsible for their child and make decisions on their behalf for those first eighteen years! They need to know their child is safe and taken care of. They need to know that you as a teacher, have their child's best interest at heart! They want to know who you are and what you're doing in their child's classroom.
What Can I Do to Work Effectively With Parents?
One of the most important things to remember is to keep interactions with parents free from judgement. As a wise educator once told me, "Every parent is always doing the best that they can!"
One of the greatest ideas I've seen to involve parents comes from a lovely little Grade 3 classroom. Every week they would have a super-special, surprise guest reader. Every day the students would get some clue about the person and then on Friday's the guest would arrive and it was someone's parent! This allowed other students to get to know parents a little bit