By Stephanie Schupska
University of
Georgia

Whether parents have hours of free time or work three jobs, communication with their child’s teacher is possible. According to Elbert County High School math teacher Anne Poss, it’s needed.

“I don’t think some parents know how motivating or discouraging they can be to their child’s academic success,” she said.

Many of her students in Elberton, Ga., struggle to make better grades. Those students who know that she is talking with their parents do better, even if it’s improving from a D to a C.

Talking is vital. Research shows good parent-teacher collaborations are uncommon.

“I came across a recent survey in one state that said fewer than 20 percent of parents are in regular contact with their child’s school and teacher,” said Don Bower, a human development specialist with University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. “Nobody is happy with that.”

When he searched for a reason why 80 percent aren’t in regular contact with their children’s school system, he said parents often don’t feel like they’re well received. For many parents, the topics discussed at conferences with teachers feel like criticism of them as parents.

“The best teachers understand this and work to create a positive relationship – a partnership – with parents,” Bower said. “This partnership is also important if the student has discipline issues at some point.”

For Poss, getting that partnership started is often hard.

“My biggest issue is probably contacting parents and then parent involvement,” she said. “I can call, but them following through and helping me out after the first time is often difficult.”

Ginny Kiepper, a second-grade teacher at Morgan County Primary School in Madison, Ga., has fewer problems with communication, especially since parental involvement doesn’t really start taking a nosedive until middle school. She keeps parents talking to her through a magnet she hands out at the beginning of each school year. On it is her contact information. She tells parents to call her when needed.

“My job doesn’t end when I leave the building at 4:30, 5 p.m.,” she said. “It’s a 24-hour job. If your child has something going on or emotions about school, let me know that.”

Communication is even more important as a child gets older, despite thoughts of the opposite. Parents tend to believe that their students are more independent and responsible when in fact the parents may need to be in closer contact with students and their teachers, Bower said.

He suggests that parents get to know someone at the school who knows their child – a teacher, counselor or coach – to get third-party confirmation of what’s happening in their child’s life.

For those parents who want to open lines of communication with their student’s teachers, Poss, Bower and eighth-grade math teacher Julie Crow give these tips:

1. E-mail. Poss prefers e-mail from parents because she can check her inbox during the school day. Last year, she looked forward to the two per week she received from one parent. “In that sense, it’s not just about the student’s math, it’s how he’s doing just in general,” she said. To find teachers’ e-mail addresses, check the school Web site.

2. Call. Before calling a teacher at school, find out when that teacher’s free period is, Bower said. Teachers can’t answer the phone when they’re teaching class, except during their free period, but they may be able to call back if a parent leaves a message.

3. Meet. For Crow, who teaches at East Jackson Middle School in Commerce, Ga., the best way parents can connect with their child’s teachers is through parent-teacher conferences. She uses them to inform parents of situations or problems a student may be facing. “So many of them don’t know what’s happening in their kids’ lives,” she said.

(Stephanie Schupska is a news editor for the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.)