Five Steps to Building Positive Relationships with Your Students' Parents

We have all had those e-mails from that parent. The ones that make your stomach hurt. That can ruin your whole night. That make you question your worth as a teacher.

I would say that those e-mails are the thing I hate most about being a teacher. Even after all of the years I have been teaching, they still get to me.

I was so lucky this year to have an entire class full of helpful and positive parents. That isn't to say there weren't issues that we had to work through, but it felt like we were working together instead of against each other. These positive relationships were just one of things that made this year so incredible.

I think there are a lot of reasons for this magical year. First, I worked really hard to communicate with parents. I was also on maternity leave having an adorable baby for a couple of months in the fall. It is really hard to get mad at someone who just had a baby. Finally, I think these were just a great group of parents.

Looking forward to next year, I want to have the same kind of year with the parents of the class. I will also be working on my National Boards, and parent relationships is a big part of that.

After reading a blog post on it, I have started reading Unshakeable: 20 Ways to Enjoy Teaching Every Day by Angela Watson. She has some really good ideas about self-care and using time efficiently.

My favorite parts of the book so far are her ideas for establishing positive relationships with the parents of your students right away. Here are my top five ideas for getting on the right foot with parents:

1. As soon as you get your class list, write short post cards home to each student. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, but your students (and their parents!) will love getting something from you in the mail. It will show them how much you care and how excited you are to work with them this year.

2. Call every parent after the first day of school to let them know their child had a great day. If you can, mention something specific about each child, so their parents know that you are working to get to know their child. Even when a kid has been in school for a while (like a new third grader), parents still want to know that everything is going smoothly at school. It is another way to show you care, and will build up your positive points with parents right away.

3. Pre-address good news notes with students' names, and send home a few a month. You can mail them or send them home in backpacks. By pre-addressing the notes, you know you will get something home to every kid, and it won't take much of your time. Parents think their kids are wonderful, and showing you agree will help keep you on the same team.

4. Use a class website, blog, or other page (like Edmodo) to post important class information and make sure that parents know how to access them. Believe it or not, kids are not that great at communicating information between home and school, and parents will appreciate having a place to go for information at the last minute without having to wait for you to respond.

5. Once a month, or once a quarter, have a special event for families in your class. I know this sounds like a lot of work, but if you hold it on the same night as a school special event, it really won't be much more work for you, and you will get a huge payoff! For example, have a small art show the night before a school movie night. Hold a poetry reading before Bingo Night. Another great way to bring parents in to the classroom is to having a "Reading Breakfast". Parents can come to the classroom a half an hour before school starts and read with their child while enjoying donuts and juice.

I don't know about you, but I am definitely going to try these ideas next year. I will keep you updated on how they go!

What do you do to keep positive relationships with your parents?