The teaching profession is one that everyone can agree takes on a great responsibility and many associated challenges. Challenges specifically encountered by this profession most often involve getting the best result from teaching time with every student overseen. Surprisingly to some though, a fair number of the challenges encountered by teachers do not stem from the student, but rather, the parents. For those interested in this particular, unexpected challenge set encountered by most teachers, here are five things teachers wish parents would do that would indeed make their job that much easier and straightforward.
Homework Oversight
Homework is an important aspect to most schools’ curricula. It is seen and used as an at-home complement and booster to the learning process. It also gives students a chance to work with their parents and thus glean the benefits therein.
Possibly the most frequently encountered, parent-based frustration in the teaching world is that of a lack of parental involvement when it comes to homework. When no home oversight is applied here, much homework ends up not completed or completed at a very unsatisfactory level. Homework is ultimately the student’s responsibility, but without the parents’ presence here, a graded assignment that is meant to help the student ends up hurting them.
Get Informed
Staying up to date and informed is one of the best, general concepts a parent can abide by. Parents can do this simply by asking basic questions and paying attention to any correspondence sent their way by the school. The problem in this area often occurs when the parents don’t pay attention to such correspondence and don’t ask questions when there are subtle uncertainties. This often leads to hostility and heightened tensions, as simple misunderstandings easily thwarted by questions and correspondence grow into much more. Parents getting informed and staying informed makes a teacher’s life much more simple.
Abide by Item and Dress Code
Dress codes and item bans are meant to help the school administer a safe and otherwise non-obstructive learning environment. While it is certainly true that some of these rules can, at times, seem a bit strict or egregious, they almost always do far more good than harm. This is especially true when the parents actively heed these rules when seeing their children off to school.
No one wants to receive or place a call with regard to violations in this realm. Even if parents completely disagree with a rule, they are better off maintaining their child’s adherence while voicing their disapproval in other ways. The truth is that while these rules are in place, students must abide by them.
Support and Trust Teacher Approach
Teaching professionals are all well aware that their individual approaches and teaching styles may not always align with the parents’ own preferences therein. Sometimes, it is these differences however that can actually spur positive growth in a student. Even if the parents don’t fully understand the methods being applied, their support, at least in front of the child, is crucial. A unified front makes all the difference in any child’s education. If there are in fact genuine disagreements and concerns, the parent, child, and teacher alike are all best served by the proper addressing of such concerns outside of the student’s ears and experience.
Get Involved
Finally and perhaps the theme of all issues here, it is always best when parents maintain a healthy degree of involvement. Being overly involved and concerned can lead to problems just as being uninvolved can. By being involved, parents know what’s happening.
Heated exchanges, festering issues, factors needing to be addressed, and many other areas of teacher trouble can thus be avoided. In addition, students benefit in a whole host of ways, from improved grades, to better attendance. With just the right amount of involvement, a teacher’s job becomes indescribably easier and more efficient.
Efficiency and ease – these words represent the ultimate defines of the ideal teacher’s world. They are also crucial ingredients in the teacher’s ultimate ability to help the student grow and learn. Who knew that parents could affect those working in the teaching profession and the results of their work to such an extent?
See also: Top 10 Best Online Master of Arts in Teaching Degree Programs
