It’s hard to believe it’s the end of September, but students and staff have now been back to class for nearly a month. While it’s early in the school year, I am already fielding calls from families frustrated with how to navigate school policies and decisions impacting their students.
At a time when elected school board trustees have been eliminated, the best resource for resolving concerns is your positive relationship with the classroom teacher.
Many teachers reach out and introduce themselves by phone or email. Families should make sure teachers know a preferred phone number or email.
Should concerns arise, take a moment, especially when emotions run hot, to sit down and clarify the issue in one or two sentences, at most. It’s difficult to solve a problem that someone finds difficult to put into words.
With this clarity in hand, check in with the teacher or staff member, and ask what they can tell you about what you understand to be happening. There’s often more worth knowing.
Avoid assigning intentions to staff. It’s constructive to talk about incidents, but harmful to suggest any professional believes or feels a certain way, especially about a student.
It’s vital to remember that staff have professional boundaries. Staff can talk to you about your student, but not others. This doesn’t mean they can’t hear your input about peers or classmates, but it does mean that what they can say to you must respect strict ethical and privacy parameters.
Finally, no one appreciates hearing about a problem from a distant superior without having had the opportunity to work to resolve things directly. School staff are no different. Offer the courtesy of direct, respectful communication.
On a positive note? Take the opportunity to communicate your thanks and admiration when your student reports achievements or success in any respect. School staff don’t do what they do for the flowers, but small gestures build strong bridges.
I want to wish the amazing students, family and school staff across Sackville-Cobequid the very best for a successful year.
That’s the Sackville-Cobequid Scoop for September!
