Effective Communication

Throughout the week, we've learned the importance of effective communication skills among teachers. Education itself is a job in which communication is a key element. Without it, it would be difficult to be able to educate students and educate their parents on their kid's progress. Yesterday was teacher-parent conferencing at the elementary, so asking my teacher questions about communication was right on topic. When asked about how she approaches parents during a meeting, she replied by saying that she wants to create trust between them and have an open relantionship with them. Her goal is to make sure the parents understand that she is there to help the kids in whatever way possible. If there is a problem with a child, she would be honest with the parents but wouyld make them feel comfortable. She would not want to upset them but rather show that she cares about the student and brainstorm some possible solutions to solving the problem. By having possible solutions, it puts the parents at ease and it shows that she is not simply critizing their child. When asked about how she would handle a situation in which the parents are upset, she said that what she attempts to do is try to redirect that anger into a more postivie approach and calm the parents so that they can understand where each of them is coming from. If the parents are too angry, then it is best to apporach a principal for help. Communication is key, and every nine weeks the elementary holds teacher-parent conferences to show how the kids are doing so far in the year. However, she says she accomadates this accroding to the need of a conference. For example, if there is a problem concerning a student before the nine weeks conferences, then she will make a conference with the parents to address this issue. Yesterday, the kids we're learning about how to write a letter. I walked around the room helping those who needed help.