Successful LEARNING TEAM = Parents + Teachers + Students

(Parent + Teacher + Student) x (COOPERATION + COMMUNICATION)
= SUCCESSFUL LEARNING TEAM

Parents often tell me that my attendance at Parent - Teacher Conferences is one of the most helpful services that I provide. By opening the lines of communication and by directing everyone's focus to the needs of the individual student, we are able to begin the school year working together "on the same page". Since a focused & cooperative learning team is critical in order to optimize school year success, WHY does parent - teacher - student communication often break down???

We can safely assume that:


*Students do NOT wake up each morning planning ways to be unsuccessful at school and plotting ways to upset parents and teachers.


* Parents do not start each day planning ways to MINIMIZE their child's success and plotting to make teachers miserable.


*Teachers do NOT wake up each morning planning to upset students and their parents.



In fact, most human beings wake up each morning hoping for a successful day filled with lots of positive interactions with others. So, why do students, parents, AND teachers frequently end up in tears of frustration??? When all 3 parties truly want the student to be successful, it is frustrating for everyone when the learning process is less than successful. Sadly, the tendency of human beings is to place blame. And, blaming leads to defensiveness, which is completely unproductive.



So, HOW can we set up our "Learning Team" for success???

# 1 ASSUME the BEST INTENTIONS -- not the worst. When you approach potential problems assuming that each party has the BEST intentions, it changes everything for the better. This is not just wishful thinking! Most of us want to be good people, and few of us have time to plot, plan, and conspire against others : )

# 2 COMMUNICATE EARLY & OFTEN -- My rule is "NO SURPRISES!" Parents & Students should not be surprised by interims and report cards. Teachers should not be surprised by unhappy parents. Parents & Teachers need to be sure to communicate the GOOD NEWS. When I taught in public middle school, far too few parents showed up to give the teachers positive feedback and appreciative words. Please DON'T be the parent who only shows up at school when there is a "problem"!

# 3 Use Tools & Resources to enhance Parent - Teacher - Student Communication:

• Parent - Teacher Communication Plan from the Parent Toolkit @ allkindsofminds.org
• Homework Help from the Parent Toolkit @ allkindsofminds.org
• Learning to Relate to Others from the Parent Toolkit @ allkindsofminds.org

E-mail is a great tool to facilitate frequent parent - teacher communication, but be sure to establish your relationship and rapport face to face. While an e-mail compliment is certainly great, nothing beats knowing another person has "gone out of the way" to compliment you in person. And, parents, be sure to let your school principal (and other parents) know when something good happens!


FYI -- Your COMPLIMENT to CRITICISM RATIO goal should be 5 to 1 -- that means that you must give 5 (FIVE) COMPLIMENTS to every 1 (ONE) criticism! The bare minimum ratio is 3 to 1. This applies to all of your human to human interactions: parenting, marriage, work, home, school, etc.

• HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT: To get into the COMPLIMENT HABIT, put a roll of pennies in your right pocket, and move a penny to your left pocket each time you give a sincere, heartfelt compliment to another person. Please share your results with me and other readers in the COMMENTS below!

Lastly,


THANK YOU for taking the time to read this! Please let me know which suggestions / tips / tools you are able to implement and how it works out. I'll be sending all of my very best thoughts for your success in building the best learning team EVER this year!


Leah Daziens
www.f-u-n-training.com