by Judith Morais

Created on: December 06, 2009

The effectiveness of a child's learning depends greatly on the dynamics of relationships within the classroom. The student-teacher relationship is crucial and can have a huge impact on a child's learning and development of social skills.

One teacher has a relationship with hundreds of students each year, whether it is in the area of academic study or out of class activities. Every parent hopes that their child will receive the kind of individualised attention that will ensure the best for their child. Every child is important to an effective teacher but it is an unfortunate fact that not all teachers have the same high level of skills and empathy in their interaction with students. Whatever the situation, a parent can actually help develop a stronger positive relationship between his child and teacher.

When there is respect for teachers it is much easier to develop good relationships. It is important that students develop a healthy respect for their teachers because this will enable the relationship within the classroom to develop and enhance the learning environment. It is difficult for students to develop this sense of respect when parents do not share it.

Be careful how you comment on the teacher when at home. Teachers may not always be right, and as a parent you may not always agree with the methods or practices of your child's teacher, but children pick up on their parents' attitude and will bring it into the classroom; unfortunately students sometimes use this knowledge in disruptive ways within the classroom. Yes, teachers can make mistakes and may not always make the best judgements but rather than share these observations with the child, it is important for parents to teach their children how to handle the situation. A child who is upset with a teacher's actions may just need some guidance on how to broach the issue with the teacher himself, or may need to learn how to rationalise the reasons for the teacher's actions. These are important social skills well worth developing.

If there is a genuine problem in the relationship between your child and teacher, communicate with the teacher about it. Find out about the method of communication favoured by your child's teacher. Often a note written in a communication notebook or an email message may work. If necessary, make an appointment to talk to the teacher face to face or call the school to talk over the line. Often, a teacher appreciates knowing if there is a problem developing, and it is helpful that your child knows that you care enough to try to solve an ongoing problem with the teacher. In fact, it is well-worth remembering that you do not need to wait for a problem to exist before calling a teacher. Teachers are often appreciative of parents who voluntarily touch base especially at the beginning of the year when everyone is just getting to know each other.

Fostering a positive relationship between your child and the teacher will lead to a win-win situation. In helping your child develop this enriching relationship, you are in fact helping to develop a mature young individual who will be able to maximise his learning potential within the classroom and will be developing important social skills.

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