Positve Relationships with Parents

1. Positive Relationships with
Parents
Done By: Daveeka Benny
EDTE330-Principles & Practices of Education II

2. Why have good relationships?
 Human beings are naturally social creatures – we
crave friendship and positive interactions, just as
we do food and water. So it makes sense that the
better our relationships are at work, home or even
at school, the happier and more productive we're
going to be. (Rimm-Kaufman, 2010)
 What's more, good relationships give us freedom:
instead of spending time and energy overcoming
the problems associated with negative
relationships, we can, instead, focus on
opportunities. (Rimm-Kaufman, 2010)

3. Defining a good relationship
 A good relationship requires five major factors:
1. Trust-the foundation of every good relationship
2. Mutual Respect-when you respect others, you get the
same in return
3. Mindfulness-taking responsibility for your words and
actions
4. Welcoming diversity-People with good relationships not
only accept diverse people and opinions, but they welcome
them.
5. Open communication-The better and more effectively you
communicate with those around you, the richer your
relationships will be. (Aguilar, 2011)

4. Developing Positive Relationships
with: Parents
 Smile when you see parents-Greet them. Most parents
only occasionally interact with teachers so make sure that
at least 90 percent of your encounters with them are
positive, warm, and friendly
 Learn Their Names
(If you have a self-contained class.) Learn how they like to
be addressed (Mr. ____? By their first name?) and how to
pronounce them correctly.
 Declare Your Intention
Tell them that you want to partner with them, that you
appreciate their support, and look forward to working
together. (Aguilar, 2011)

5. Developing Positive Relationships
with: Parents cont’d
 Lead with the Good News
Give positive praise first when calling parents or meeting
with them to discuss a concern.
 Listen to Parents
Really listen. They know a whole lot about their kid.
 Share Every Success
Let parents know what their child is doing well, what
academic skills, social skills or knowledge he's mastered.
(Aguilar, 2011)

6. Developing Positive Relationships
with: Students
 Smile at the Child-when you talk to the child, smile
and make eye contact with the student to demonstrate
that you care about him/her.
 Be very specific-be clear in your expectations of your
student and make sure and mention your do’s and
don'ts.
 Teachers show their pleasure and enjoyment of
students.
 Teachers interact in a responsive and respectful
manner. (Aguilar, 2011)

7. Developing Positive Relationships
with: Students cont’d
 Teachers offer students help (e.g., answering questions
in timely manner, offering support that matches the
children's needs) in achieving academic and social
objectives.
 Teachers help students reflect on their thinking and
learning skills.
 Teachers know and demonstrate knowledge about
individual students' backgrounds, interests, emotional
strengths and academic levels.
 Teachers seldom show irritability or aggravation toward
students. (Garfinkle, 2005)

8. Developing Positive Relationships
with: Teachers
 Share more of yourself at meetings. One of the best
ways to build relationships is to let others know who you
are.
 Speak positively about the people you work with,
especially to your boss. Get in the habit of speaking
positively to others and providing quality feedback about
the people who work with.
 Be supportive of other people’s work. Ask how you
can get involved.
 Write thank you notes. Write notes of appreciation to
the people who are doing exemplary work, making
positive contributions and going above the call of duty.

9. Developing Positive Relationships
with: Teachers cont’d
 Participate in activities with others that don’t
involve work. As you get to know someone, you might
find similar interests that may warrant an outside the
work activity.
 Share information. The information you share can be
directly related to their work or it can be about a subject
you know they will enjoy reading.
 Introduce yourself at social work events. Social
events like lunches/dinners with colleagues, retreats,
conferences and holiday parties are good places to
interact in an informal setting. (Mind Tools, 2014)

10. Practical ways in which the
teacher can develop positive
relationships with: Parents
 Liaise with parents-phoning, e-mailing, or even
texting. Keep them in the know about events and
their child’s performance and behavior
 Parent-Teacher meetings-every school has PTA’s
 Host events-ever so often have walk-a-thons or
cake sales even raffles to get the parents involved.
(Mind Tools, 2014)

11. Practical ways in which the
teacher can develop positive
relationships with: Students
 Games-Assign a specific day and time for games.
Whether it be cricket, football or even board games
 Reward your students-give them stickers, or tokens
for good behavior or outstanding performance.
 Field trips-take your students out to the zoo, the mall
even at the museum. (Smith, 2012)

12. Practical ways in which the
teacher can develop positive
relationships with: Teachers
 Go out-go for dinner, spend time with your co-workers
somewhere other than in the school
 Workshops/Retreats-discuss what you want from
each other
 Seminars/Meetings-finding solutions to problems and
obstacles (Smith, 2012)

13. References
 Aguilar, E. (2011, September 23). Tips for developing good
relationships with parents. Retrieved January 22, 2015,
from Edutopia: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/20-tips-
developing-positive-relationships-parents-elena-aguilar
 Garfinkle, J. (2005). Buildong positive relationships at work.
Retrieved January 22, 2015, from Garfinkle Executive
Coaching:
http://garfinkleexecutivecoaching.com/articles/build-
positive-work-relationships/building-positive-relationships-
at-work
 Mind Tools. (2014). Building good relationships. Retrieved
January 22, 2015, from Mind Tools:
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/good-
relationships.htm

14. References
 Rimm-Kaufman, S. (2010). Improving students
relationships with teachers. Retrieved January 22, 2015,
from American Psychological Association:
http://www.apa.org/education/k12/relationships.aspx
 Smith, J. (2012, May 10). 10 Ways to get your collegues
to work with you better. Retrieved January 22, 2015,
from Forbes:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2012/10/0
3/10-ways-to-get-your-colleagues-to-work-with-you-
better/