7 Strategies for Building Parent Teacher Relationships

Building a strong parent teacher relationships is VITAL to the success of your school year.  I know, some of you are already inwardly cringing.  Many teachers avoid talking to parents.

Maybe you fear being criticized by a parent or worry about being questioned.

However, building a strong teacher parent relationship from the start can increase trust on both sides of the equation and promote teamwork between the parent and teacher. This is a best-case scenario for the student!

Beginning a Strong Parent Teacher Relationship

I love to make a great start with my parents by calling them in the first few days of school. My teacher friend Shannon calls them sunshine calls.  You are calling to say something positive about their child, so both the child and parent start the year feeling great!

 This is definitely a big effort.  Yes, you will be tired and just want to go home.  However, there are three big reasons that you should make sunshine calls.

1. This can save you a lot of time later in the year.
2. Your students deserve it.
3. You will have fun!

A Time-Saver

How can spending time making sunshine calls be a time-saver?

This phone call is a perfect opportunity for parents to tell you something that they have forgotten.  Let me give you an example.

One year I had a student named Jasmine.  (Names always changed to protect privacy)  On one of the first days of school, Jasmine came up and told me she had a headache.  Now if you have ever taught a primary grade, you know that young children have minor aches and pains on the daily!

Often these “illnesses” are cured by getting a drink or putting a wet paper towel on something. Am I right???

Well, I told Jasmine to get a drink and to let me know if her head kept hurting.  She never mentioned it again and the day went on.

Well, guess what?  After school, her mom called me and shouted at me.  She had already yelled at the nurse and school secretary.  She was IRATE because Jasmine was prone to migraines.  Was it on the medical form?  No.  Did she tell me on the forms I sent home on the first day?  Also…no.  

So I had to spend a lot of time on the phone with her calming her down and assuring her that I would immediately send her child to the nurse anytime she wanted to go.  I also had to walk to the office to check on the secretary and nurse to apologize for the way she treated them.

This wasted a lot of time and energy and as you can imagine, it didn’t set us off on the right foot.

Had I gotten ahold of her on a sunshine call first, she may have realized right away that I cared deeply about all of my students.  I would have had the chance to say, “Is there anything important that I should know about your child?”  She probably would have still called me, but the conversation may have been a lot different.

Now, I promise I have had my share of difficult parents, but I am telling you that so many problems are eliminated with communication!

Kids Deserve It

Imagine this scenario…it is the second day of school.  You have spent countless hours organizing and decorating your classroom, planning activities and lessons, and are pretty much dead on your feet already.  Then your admin walks in and says, “I really appreciate everything you have done for your students.  I know we are going to have an amazing year.  Is there anything you need or anything you are confused about? I am here for you!”

How great would you feel?  How would you feel about your relationship with your administrator?

This is how a sunshine call makes kids and parents feel. Amazing!

I created a sunshine call recording sheet as part of my product, Teacher Binder Templates.  You may want to check out the product here.

You Will Really Enjoy It

Okayyyy, maybe everyone will not enjoy it.  Or maybe you won’t enjoy it the first few times.  But as time goes on, you will realize that checking in on families and paying a compliment to their child is incredibly uplifting!

Sunshine calls are a great start, but how can you keep building and nurturing that relationship all year long?

Communication is KEY!

I can’t overstate this enough.  Keep making those phone calls all year long.  Feel like you don’t have time?  Try a video shout-out!  I use Screencastify to make recordings of myself. If you aren’t familiar with Screencastify, you will want to check out this blog post.  Click here.

 Teaching virtually? Why not record a quick student shout-out and email the link to the parent? The whole process would take only a few minutes!  

You don’t have to do one for every student every time.  Just set up a schedule that allows you to give a shout-out to each student a few times throughout the year.  Every parent loves to hear about their child’s successes!

Some people are not a fan of being on camera.  I totally understand.  If you prefer a printable shout-out, check out this product.  Thow that kindness around like confetti!

Be Consistent

As a busy teacher and mother of three, it can be difficult to remember everything for everyone.  The more consistent my children’s teachers are, the better I can help them.  For example, if the teacher says spelling tests are on Fridays, but then frequently gives it on another day I have a hard time preparing my child. This is confusing and overwhelming. 

The same concept applies if you are teaching virtually. Find the most beneficial programs and platforms and stick with them.  Adding something new every week is only going to frustrate parents. (and students too!)

Be sure to send regular communication about what is happening in the classroom.  Include concepts being covered, ways parents can help, celebrations, and upcoming due dates or events.

Handle Problems Immediately

If things start to go wrong with a student in your class, academically or behaviorally, it is best to inform parents right away.  No parent wants to hear that their child has been struggling with academics or wreaking havoc in the classroom, and they had no idea it was happening.  

Sometimes the parent will handle a behavior problem at home and BOOM!  You have saved yourself time by not having to deal with that child’s behavior every day.

That being said, you don’t want to nitpick every little thing that happens, but you do want to keep parents in the loop.  You can send a daily or weekly note to let parents know how their child is doing in regards to behavior, work habits, and responsibility. 

Let Them Help

Years ago, I worked in an urban school district and didn’t have too many parents interested in volunteering in the classroom.  I taught there for ten years, so I became very accustomed to running classroom parties and allllll those copies by myself.

When I moved to a new school system, the parents kept asking if I needed any help.  I politely declined because I didn’t really need anyone’s help.  I had been doing it all by myself for ten years!

What I soon came to realize is that I was making these parents feel left out.  That was not my intention at all!  The more I welcomed parents into my room, the more I realized it was benefiting our relationship.

This year, most schools will probably not be allowing parents to volunteer in the building.  You may have to get creative with how to build parent teacher relationships.  Maybe they could read a story virtually to your class.  This could be live or recorded!

Maybe a parent could join a virtual meeting and listen to a child read or assess sight words.  The key to 2020 is thinking outside the box!

(Please check with your school regarding any volunteer/live class session policies.)

Attend School-Wide Events

This might not be a possibility this year, but I still think it is worth mentioning for the future.  Showing up for the kids is a great way to endear yourself to families!  It is a great time to chat with them in a fun and lighthearted scenario.

That way, if you do have to call about something serious, you already have a bond with that family and they can trust what you are telling them. 

The Golden Rule

Another way to build parent teacher relationships with parents is to follow the golden rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated.  If you don’t like parents requesting things from you at the last minute, don’t do that to them.  If you want them to give you some grace when you make a mistake, offer parents the same courtesy.

We are all only human!

These strategies are just that…strategies.  Every idea doesn’t work for every situation, but this is what has worked for me over the years:

• Making sunshine calls
• Regular communication
• Consistency
• Mentioning problems early
• Involving parents
• Minding the Golden Rule
• Attending school events

Now you are all set to foster those meaningful relationships! I hope your school year is truly the best year yet!