Parent Teacher Communication Make it a Positive in the Educations Process

 The life of a special needs parent is a difficult road.  From the day you get the diagnosis you are told all the things your child will not be able to do that you thought they would be able to do. If You get the diagnosis when your child is a bit older and has been in school the likelihood that you have had phone call from the school, with less than positive news is great.  A parent can become warn down and almost dread the caller ID showing the school phone number.  The relationship between parent and school needs to be positive for the student to thrive.

      As a teacher it is important to make contact with the parent and share the positive achievements that occur along the way not just the negative.  Send emails to the parent when a student does something special.  Pick up the phone and share your excitement when a child initiates a conversation with a peer for the first time.  This lets the parent know how much you truly care about their child and lets them share in these moments of success. Be sure to let the student know that you contacted the parent as well.  It will let them feel that much more proud of their accomplishments.  When I call, I always start out by stating right off that nothing is wrong, this is a good call.  The reactions I get are varied, but usually have some sort of relief involved.  Always remember that parents of special needs students are entrusting us with their treasures and when they see that number on the caller ID, worry is the trained response.  We need to be sensitive to that at all times and honor that while building our relationships.

   When contacting a parent for a mishap that may occur in the classroom, I always remember my training from when I was a retail manager: give 3 positives for every negative.  Be sure to point out how you used the situation as a learning opportunity, so the child will not do it again.  It is also important to let the parent know how the student responded to the consequences, and how they were able to come back and function for the rest of the day. Emphasize this as a positive.  This is a very important skill for the future.  We need to communicate certain major occurrences in the class, but if they are minor and handled within the class think about if every  one needs to be addressed with the parent. Would you call a general education parent every time you had a small interaction with a student? You may want to set up ground rules with the parents for the times when you will contact them at the beginning of the year.  My general rule is if it does not interfere with the learning of other students and is corrected quickly with redirection or a simple in class consequence, it is not necessary to contact the parent. There are times things may not fit tightly into this formula, but it gives me a starting point. For frequent behaviors a communication log can also be established.   Do not forget to keep documentation of behaviors for your own records.   If you see a pattern arising and new strategies need to be implemented, then you contact the parents to discuss it as soon as you establish a possible pattern.  The teacher is able to handle discipline in the classroom and needs to maintain it in the eyes of the student. 

   The communication between parent and teacher is vital to a healthy school relationship.  Both the positive and negative events need to be shared.  The parents need to share the great things they see as well with the school. With both sides openly communicating the child will only do better.

For more information you may want to start here:

http://www.adi.org/journal/ss05/Graham-Clay.pdf

http://www.ldonline.org/article/28021/