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LETTER FROM A PARENT:
Take the time to communicate
with parents
Build a relationship of respect
and cooperation with students'
families
By Samuel R. Saylor
The battle to successfully educate all children is not going to be won by teachers alone—parents must also do their part.
As a parent, I desperately need and want my child’s teachers to take the time to communicate with me, to share with me my child’s strengths and weaknesses so that I can support the work they are doing on behalf of my child.
Parents need to make sure the teacher knows they are ready and willing to join them as partners in fostering a child’s academic achievement.
Teachers and parents alike should take advantage of the communication technology available to them today. There’s a wealth of information that can be exchanged when they are partners in a child’s education.
For example, I try to make teachers aware of the influences in my child’s life, including the significant cultural aspects of our family and community. Communication, I believe, is an essential tool in closing the achievement gap.
If it’s true that parent involvement is the foremost indicator of a child’s success in school, then parents and teachers should make it their duty to forge a relationship of respect and cooperation. I’m convinced that our children not only will recognize and appreciate such a partnership but also will be its prime beneficiaries.
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Samuel R. Saylor is president of the Hartford (Conn.) Parent-Teacher Organization. He was a community representative for the school district team that attended the 2007 AFT QuEST conference.
