In the EKTEP (East Kootenay Teacher Education Program), we are often asked to reflect on different aspects of teaching that impact student learning, and one of the biggest areas that stood out to me is the relationship between parents and teachers. This is something that is so important because students are not just influenced by what happens in the classroom, but also by what happens at home. If there is not a strong connection between parents and teachers, it can create gaps in communication and understanding, which can impact student success.

In the fall semester Jenna and I wrote a paper on the three different relationship within the classroom dynmaic: parent-teacher, student-student, and teacher-student, all three are impactful but personally I think that parent-teacher is the most impactful. When preparing my paper I was looking at the work of Cullingford and Morrison (1999), it became clear that relationships between parents and schools are not always simple or straightforward. There can be misunderstandings, differences in expectations, and sometimes even a lack of trust. This made me realize that as a teacher, I cannot assume that all parents feel comfortable communicating with schools, and I need to be intentional about creating a welcoming and open environment. It is not just about sending information home, but about building a relationship where parents feel valued and heard.

Similarly, Deslandes, Barma, and Morin (2015) discuss how these relationships are complex and influenced by many different factors, including communication styles, cultural backgrounds, and past experiences with education. This stood out to me because it shows that there is no one “right” way to communicate with families. For example, some parents may prefer email, while others may feel more comfortable with face-to-face conversations or phone calls. As a future educator, I need to be flexible and responsive to these different needs in order to build strong connections.

Within the diversity of parents, often Indigenous parents really struggle with Teacher-Parent relationships because there is trauma from residential schools. They have a fear that, as the teacher, we aren’t going to value them, and they don’t have a voice with us. This is why it is important for us to make the first step and reach out so they know they are valued and seen by us. As an individual, we see their value and knowledge as a parent, and we want to be on their team supporting their student the best way we can, but we can’t do it without their help.

I also found myself thinking about how this connects to my own teaching practice. For example, if a student is struggling in class, having a strong relationship with their family could help me better understand what supports they might need. Instead of making assumptions, I could communicate with parents to get a fuller picture of the student as a learner. This not only helps the student, but also builds trust between home and school.

When I hink about how to connect this to the UVIC Teacher Education Program Competencies I think it connects to:

  5) practise effective communication appropriate to the context and audience, enabling responsiveness to diversities of learners

6)  practise respect for all learners from all cultures, including, specifically, Indigenous learners

When it comes to communicating with families and parents, we need to make sure we approach each family with the right tone and context in mind. By doing this, we are also practicing having respect for all cultures and specifically being mindful of the trauma residential schools have caused for the parents of our students. Being mindful of our students’ homes and parents also helps us practice respect because a teacher-parent relationship is hard, but when we intentionally work to build one, we build a respect for our students’ parents.

References:

Cullingford, C., & Morrison, M. (1999). Relationships between parents and schools: A case study. Educational Review, 51(3), 253–262.Deslandes, R., Barma, S., & Morin, L. (2015). Understanding complex relationships between teachers and parents.International Journal about Parents in Education, 9(1).

If you would like to read more about the relationships that happen within the classroom here is the link to the paper I co-wrote with Jenna Abbey.