Communication between the teachers and parents plays an important factor in the development of the child academically. Prity Shrestha Rajbhandary tries to find suggestions to enhance the communication.

When I was a teacher many years back, there was hardly any parent-teacher communication. Often parents would come to talk about their child’s progress only during the report card distribution which lasted for about five minutes per child. Or if the child got into trouble.

A lot has changed since then. There is now greater demand for parents to be involved in the child’s academic life: attend parent-teacher conferences; host teacher day celebrations; act as parent representative; and regularly communicate with teachers. The followings points need to be considered when communicating with your child’s teachers.

 Avoid over dependence on technology

There is an increasing tendency among schools to use modern technology -- such as WhatsApp, Viber, email, and mobile – to communicate with parents. While these mediums are useful when speed and quick reach to a large number of parents in communication (for example, during earth quakes) are of great importance, overuse of these technologies can be bothersome to both parents and teachers during normal times. These technologies cannot provide the nuances in communication that only personal one-to-one meetings can provide.

 Be appreciative of the teachers’ hard work

Often parents forget the fact that teachers teach a whole class full of other children besides their own, and are quick to put the blame on the teachers when something goes wrong. You, your child and the teacher perhaps equally share the responsibility for how the child fares in the school, and at home. A thank you note need not be something that is given only on Teachers’ Day; it can be a part of regular communication.

 Do not mistake frequency for quality

Soon after the school session has started the parents should schedule an appointment with the teacher to let her know the child’s strengths and weakness, and how the teachers can help the child. There should also schedule another appointment after they have received their child’s first report card to share notes with the teacher on how the child is progressing.

Parent’s perspective

A mother whose only child is currently studying in Grade VI in India feels that it is important to have an open communication with teachers. If there is an open communication, the child will progress both at home and school. When her son was in the pre-school, she had good communication with the teachers, which helped her understand the child’s academic, social, and physical developmental needs. She could provide the right environment for him to progress at home. This level of communication was made possible to a large extent due to the physical proximity to the school. But now that he is in India, she has not had that much of chance to communicate with the teachers, and greatly misses this aspect of her child’s life.