When your child is in school the teacher is the person who guides the child through the daily activities and at the same time looks after his welfare. With this in mind, it is good for the parents to establish a good and friendly relationship with the teacher. It should be a positive, honest and open-minded kind of relationship based on the common interest of guiding the child to do well in school.

The building of a parent-teacher relationship starts with a common bond- that is for the best interest of the child involved. Parents are just concerned about their child’s performance in school, and the teacher is the person who can give a good assessment of what they want to know.

The first step to do is to accompany the child on the first day of school. There, the parent can meet the teacher and start a casual friendly encounter. It should always start with a friendly smile and a show of warmth through a friendly handshake extended to the teacher. This can be followed up after some few weeks just to know how the child is doing and if there are some observations that the teacher would share with the parent, especially if possible problems are about to come up. This can be done through a phone call, a small note or if you have the time, ask for an appointment to discuss things over.

Try to attend many PTA meetings to be updated about the changes in school, and in these meetings you may have the chance to voice out your concerns about some problems which you think should be addressed.

Then there is the "Open House" event where parents get invited to actually see the child during school time doing activities and lessons. This is a very good time to ask the teacher about your concerns and the teacher would give updates on the child’s performance.

It is just right for the parent to show respect and trust to the teacher. The parent should let the teacher know that the child is in capable hands, and in turn the teacher must be able to show the same kind of trust and respect to the parent so they can both help the child in case of problems.

The period of adjustment is one problem that a child goes through school. If the parent has to talk to the teacher it would be best to be courteous and calm about it instead of being confrontational. It is also wise not to be critical and offensive in anyway. Just let the teacher know that you appreciate the information given to you, and at the same time let the teacher know about your opinions about the problem and that you are both in agreement to resolve issues on a more positive note.

The building of a parent-teacher relationship is not only good for the well-being of the child but also for both parent and teacher since they are the two most important people who would guide the child in this phase of his life.

Mark Perry

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