Back to School Advice for Establishing a Parent-Teacher Partnership
Every school has a back to school night, and every parent can use some back to school advice from a teacher. Back to school night is the perfect occasion to lay the foundation for the strong parent-teacher partnership that will support the academic and social-emotional success of your child. Principals will be ready with their brightest smiles, and teachers with their behavioral expectations, Blooms Taxonomy posters, and their fundraising requests for the coming year.
As a parent, you should take this opportunity to establish the context for a healthy partnership with your child’s teachers for the coming year, and beyond. For those of us who are not extroverts, this can be easier said than done. So in that spirit, we thought we would share a great piece of back to school advice from Quick Key’s community of dedicated teachers.
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QUICK KEY GRADING APP
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Do you have a teacher friend who always wears a frown, that likely comes from grading, student papers by the pound? Quizzes tests and essays, on their desks doth grow, till they look like they’ve been blanketed in freshly fallen snow. Well, there’s something you can do, first share this then you say: “to all my selfless teacher friends, won’t you come out to play, ’cause there’s an app, that gives time back, three cheers Hip Hip HOORAY!!!” |
Back to School Teacher Gifts
Let’s face it, who doesn’t love receiving a gift? Teachers are no exception to this rule. A great way to break the ice is to bring a gift for your child’s core content teachers, it also gives those parents who are less extroverted an opportunity to engage in direct conversation with the teacher. When selecting a gift, choose something that the teacher can enjoy for themselves, not something for their classroom. If you want to get the teacher supplies or tools that make their job easier, by all means, do so, just not for back to school night.
So, what should you get Mrs. Donnelly? Well, you can’t go wrong with a Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts gift card. The gift shouldn’t be too expensive or personal. Though seemingly a good idea, one should avoid gifting things like wine or beer. The last thing you want is for your gift to make things awkward. By establishing a healthy rapport early by offering a thoughtful gift, you can feel a lot more at ease about regularly checking in on your child’s academic progress, and social-emotional health. Additionally, the teacher is more likely to feel that you support him or her in holding your child to the highest academic and behavioral expectations, improving their morale as they go above and beyond to help your child succeed.
Want More Expert Back to School Advice?
Check out this 10 minute back to school video and blog post created by Smart Social that features educators sharing their best back to school tips for parents of middle school students.
