Ten+Ways+to+Communicate+with+Teachers

 **Ten Ways to Communicate with Teachers ** 1. Pick up the phone for occasional 5- to 10-minute "catch-up" conversations between formal parent-teacher conferences. 2. Make an appointment and have specific questions prepared to discuss with teachers and administrators. 3. Share your wishes and worries about your child so you and the teacher can compare observations, and set goals and expectations together. 4. Ask for advice about your child's behavior problems, homework difficulties, and how to reinforce at home what's learned at school. 5. Respond to report cards by sending the teacher a note if you're pleased with your child's progress or by asking what you can do to help your child improve if the grade or comments are disappointing to you. 6. Get with the program by attending school conferences, as well as other meetings and programs that allow you to make contact with your child's teacher and other school staff. 7. Find out what your child's learning and what the academic expectations are each year. 8. Seek a translator if language differences are preventing good communication between you and a teacher. Your child or another bilingual family member may serve as a translator. Translators can also be found among the school's staff, members of your local PTA, or other community organizers. 9. Provide information to the teachers about major changes in home circumstances that may affect your children's behavior or performance. 10. Send thank-you notes to the teacher whenever your child demonstrates new skills or expresses excitement about something that happened in school discussions repeatedly. [ Taken from The National PTA Newsletter, Volume 2 / Issue 2/ Winter 2002 ]