Connecting with Your Kids’ Teachers
3 tips on engaging with teachers on your kids’ big behaviors from licensed teacher, mom of kids with big behaviors, and TBRI practitioner, Elizabeth Brown.
Back to School time is here and with it comes a flurry of changes, transitions, and big feelings. And for parents of kids from hard places, high needs and big behaviors this time of year can mean a lot of additional anxiety. It’s intimidating to hand your kiddo off to a teacher you likely don’t know and who may or may not “get” your child the way you really need them to see and understand one of your most important people.
Elizabeth Brown has her Masters in Education and is a licensed teacher and TBRI practitioner. She also serves with and is a trainer for Gap Relief’s TIERS program (Trauma Informed Educators Reaching Students), and is a mom of kids from hard places herself! All of that to say, she has experienced this time of year from every single angle and has found her role in every side of it. She sat down with us this week to give her 3 best tips for parents to engage their child’s teacher in a way that will intentionally build a partnership for the school year.
Back-to-School/Meet-the-Teacher night is NOT the time to have a long in-depth conversation about your child with big behaviors. Elizabeth reminds us that if your kiddo has an IEP and/or a 504, their teacher already knows that and likely already has a copy of it.
The most important thing you can do during this quick interaction is put a face to the name, make a touchpoint of communication, and let them know you look forward to scheduling some time with them to talk about your child.
These nights tend to be really stressful and overstimulating for the teachers, so monopolizing their time or overwhelming them with information might have the opposite effect of what you’re trying to achieve.
What you CAN hand them on Meet-the-Teacher night is a one-page informational sheet about your child. What are their biggest struggles? In what areas do they excel? What typically works for them? What typically does not work for them? Be sure to include a photo to tie it all together and simply hand it to their teacher with a smile and a “I look forward to meeting with you after everything settles down a bit.”
Here are some ideas for what this page could look like:
Click here for an article with ideas
Click here for an option to customize and purchase your own!
3. On the first day of school, Elizabeth encourages parents of kids with high needs and big behaviors to send a simple card to their teacher with a message like “It was so nice to meet you the other night! I look forward to getting to sit down with you soon to talk about this school year with _____. I am so excited to partner with you this year and I hope you enjoy a sonic drink on me!” Pair this with a $5 sonic gift card or similar small treat as a token of appreciation to start the year off on a positive note.
These tips give you multiple touchpoints with your child’s teacher without overwhelming them and also serve to hand consistent reminders that you are a parent who wants to be involved and who wants an open line of communication with them during your time together.
Do you have more questions about school resources for kiddos with higher needs? We’d love to help! Click the button below to reach out.
