In an ideal world teachers would only have to teach, however with restrictions, shuffling papers, and administrative requirements teachers are faced with more responsibility each school year. As a parent, always be your child’s strongest advocate. Early on in the school year establish a connection with each of your child’s teachers and maintain communication throughout the year. Here are some valuable pointers from the Department of Education to remember:
Contact the teacher as soon as you suspect your child has a homework problem you may figure out that a problem exists before the teacher does. Alerting the teacher early on you can both work together to solve a problem in its infancy.
Request a meeting with the teacher to discuss homework problems.Tell her briefly why you want to meet. If English is your second language, you may need to make special arrangements, such as including someone who is bilingual in the meeting.
Approach the teacher with a cooperative spirit. Believe that the teacher wants to help you and your child, even if you disagree about something. Don't go to the principal without giving the teacher a chance to work out the problem with you and your child.
Let the teacher know whether your child finds the assignments too hard or too easy. Teachers like to know when their students are particularly excited about an assignment. Feedback can be positive.
Communicating clearly is always important and can help unite teachers and parents in furthering the child’s education and integrate school work with real world experiences
