Your suspicions were right: There really are better ways to cement a productive connection with your child’s teacher than a steady stream of shiny, red apples. Therese Allgeier, a mathematics teacher at Jesuit College Preparatory in Dallas, shares three things parents can do that make her sit up and take notice.
- Use e-mail. E-mail zips straight to teachers when they’re most receptive and able to respond. “My own family has learned that it is very difficult to reach me during the day at school, because I am in my classroom and can’t be reached by phone,” she explains. “When I am in my office, I am seldom alone: I’m tutoring, visiting with a student or meeting with a colleague.”
- Drop the teacher a holiday note card with a few reasons you truly appreciate her. Teachers appreciate encouragement and feedback all year long. “Most of the time, I get these notes at the end of the school year,” Allgeier confesses. “I have every single card a parent or student has ever sent me. There are certain times during the year that I take them out and go through them.”
- Show up for your child’s conferences. “If you can’t make the conference – and we do realize that things come up unexpectedly – please call or e-mail and cancel the conference,” she requests. She encourages parents to try to slate appointments on regularly scheduled conference dates. “When you want to come on a different day, you are taking me away from time I normally spend working with my students.”
