Involved but Not Overbearing
PARENT-TEACHER ETIQUETTE TO SUPPORT YOUR CHILD’S DEVELOPMENT
1. Be a little empathetic. Teachers are some of the hardest-working people in the world, wrangling the disparate needs of around 25 children day in and day out while attempting to get them to actually learn something. It’s a high-stress, low-paying job. In the midst of grading 300 research papers written by 12-year-olds, the last thing they need is the added pressure of concerned parents bearing down on them. If you can approach a teacher from a position of understanding and be willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, you’ll be off to a good start. 2. Show up and keep an open mind. Ask any teacher in the country, and they’ll undoubtedly tell you that one of the best predictors of a child’s success is whether or not their parents make an appearance at parent- teacher conferences. Your engagement should go beyond that. Use the teacher’s preferred method of communication to stay in semi-regular contact with them— always ensuring that you keep an open mind about any praise, suggestions, or concerns they have about your child.
3. Teach your child to take responsibility. Aside from leaving your kid completely to their own devices, one of the worst things you can do is swoop in to solve their problems for them at the slightest hint of adversity. Maybe that D your kid got on their algebra test really was their fault. It’s important to acknowledge your child’s missteps, but you should also try to equip them with the tools necessary to advocate for themselves. Learning to articulate what’s going wrong or what they need from their teacher will help them to develop positive and effective communication skills. The key is to work together with your child’s teacher without being overbearing. Don’t come in with guns blazing at the first sign of an educational slip. Think of your kid’s schooling as a collaborative effort — maybe one in which you’re a little less involved than the teacher — and you’ll be giving your child the best chance of success.
Helicopter parents are the bane of every teacher’s existence. With the return of back- to-school season, it’s vital to find a happy medium between the tiger mom who bares her teeth at the smallest setback in her child’s schooling and the laissez-faire parent who is totally disengaged from their kid’s education. Here are a few tips to keep you involved in your child’s educational development while fostering relationships with their teachers in a way that won’t drive all of you up the wall.
Simon Family Summer Wrap-up CELEBRATING A BUSY SEASON, PREPARING FOR FALL
September signals the end of summer vacation, as the kids return to school and we get excited for cooler weather. But it’s also a good time to reflect on how we spent the warmer months, and 2018 certainly did not disappoint for the Simon family. The kids had an active summer of learning and exploring. Brantley got a B in her Bible Studies summer class, and Churchill explored the east coast in North Carolina while attending camp. He’s quite the mountain man now. As we wrapped up the summer, we took a family vacation to Dublin, Ireland and also visited parts of Italy. The views were picturesque, and having spent 10 years of my childhood in Europe, it was great to return with my children and explore the continent. Brantley even wants to spend a year studying in Italy! That would be an exciting adventure.
Though we are looking forward to this upcoming school year, we are so glad we made the memories we did. From the Simon Law Firm, we hope you and your family had a busy, fulfilling, and great summer as well, and we look forward to seeing what this fall will bring.
Published by The Newsletter Pro • www.TheNewsletterPro.com
2 | 404-259-7635
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online