4 Tips for Communicating with Your Child’s Teacher
Start with an attitude of collaboration and cooperation
An easy way to start the thread of communication with your child’s teacher is to send a friendly email asking about how your child is doing with several of the most important accommodations in their IEP. Lisa emphasizes that from the beginning, you should have an attitude of collaboration and cooperation whenever possible. Check out her advice in this clip:
Begin a communication log
Many parents ask for teachers to write a brief, daily account of their child’s progress at school. This might cover academics, behavior, health, services, or whatever is most important to update the family on. When you ask your child’s teacher to collaborate with you on a communication log, ask what format would work best for them. In this clip, Lisa offers plenty of examples for paper or digital logs that families can use:
Ask for progress reports and work samples
Part of following up on your child’s IEP is asking for progress reports. Is your child making meaningful progress toward their IEP goals? It’s easier to have this discussion with the teacher when you have your child’s assignments in front of you to reference. Listen to Lisa’s advice for requesting work samples in this clip:
Stay informed about assignments and how they’ll be modified
If your child needs modified classwork to access the same curriculum as their peers, you’ll want to communicate with their teacher throughout the year about what those modifications are. Lisa encourages parents to be proactive in learning about upcoming assignments and discussing them with teachers. Check out her tips and examples in this clip:
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