Relating With Your Child’s Teacher By: Antony Pellegrino

After developing cooperation between the teacher and yourself. begin asking specific questions of the teacher and his philosophy of teaching. By knowing what the teacher thinks and how he teaches, you can better understand why your child is or is not succeeding in school. It is the same as knowing who your doctor is and his ability to affect cures.

Ask questions such as what is the teacher’s attitude towards homework? Is it class related? Does he review it with the students daily? Docs he consider it as an expansion of classroom work or simply busywork?

If your child is in the elementary grades, does the teacher use “phonetics” or “whole language” to teach reading? Does he use a combination of both? What does he do to increase vocabulary understanding?

In all grades, do the teachers encourage additional reading beyond class tex~ooks? What reading resources are in the classroom beyond the basal reader or textbook? Does the teacher encourage the use of the library? How does he monitor the reading ability of each student and how often?

Study after study has shown that the child who is reading below his grade level will be a strong candidate for dropout. As the child progresses through each higher grade, the frustration level of not being able to read becomes intolerable resulting first in truancy, then delinquency, and finally dropout. If your child is not reading on his expected grade level, insist that he be tutored at school or by someone else. He must be able to read!

Low reading ability is the main reason for a child’s failure and the main reason a child dislikes school.

Does the teacher make writing an integral part of the lessons? Does he insist that spelling, punctuation, and grammar be according to accepted standards? Does the teacher accept ~invented” spelling? Do all teachers insist that writing be an integral part of each student’s learning?

In math, is there practice and drill in number functions or does it appear to be a class in social studies where more discussion is done about math than actual practice? Is the student required to memorize the basic functions in math such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division? Are calculators used instead without understanding the functions of numbers?

Is the class grouped for “cooperative learningn? What are the benefits from this group work? Does the group get one grade or is each individual student graded? Does the teacher insist on firm discipline during study time? Is prompt and neat class work required as part of the grade? Does the teacher consider himself a teacher or a facilitator?

From the answers you will learn much about your child’s learning situation A single visit will not be sufficient. Plan at least once a school quarter! Make your presence felt. The teacher is the child’s mental physician. You must work together for the child’s mental and emotional development.

Next to you, the teacher has the greatest influence on your child’s learnin9 and attitudes. If your child is not mentally deficient, then he should be able to achieve the standards of his grade level. If he is not performing on his grade level, scream loudly. Why isn’t he? What are WE going to do about it? Would you keep taking your child to a doctor that cannot cure him or would you look for a different one.

Know what the teacher is doing in the classroom. All teachers are basically sincere and hard working. You, the teacher and your child need to cooperate. Take seriously the trust God placed in you when he entrusted the child to you.