Full disclosure...I am a parent first and a teacher second. With that being said, I can honestly admit that I am guilty of some of the mistakes that I am going to address. I have attempted over the years to improve my communication abilities with my child's teachers because I understand how tough their job is.
This leads me to tip #1:
1. DON'T ASSUME A TEACHER'S JOB IS EASY.
Some people think we have summers off, work 7 hours a day, sit behind a desk, make too much money, and enjoy torturing children. To tell the truth, many teachers go to professional learning classes during the summer and start getting ready for the school year way before pre-planning starts. Most teachers I know work more like 9-10 hours a day (with no overtime). As far as sitting behind a desk, a veteran teacher once told me, "One teacher on her (his) feet is worth 10 in a seat." I've tried to take that to heart. I'm not saying I don't sit down, but it's not very often. Concerning teacher salaries, we make a decent living, but many teachers spend hundreds or a couple thousand of their own money every year on their students and classroom. Lastly, I'm not saying that some teachers couldn't lighten up a bit, but for the most part, teachers truly want your child to succeed.
2. DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOUR CHILD TELLS YOU.
I must say that I've had very few issues with parents because I try to keep them informed about what is going on in my classroom with their child, both good and bad. If my daughter ever said something about a teacher, I would ask the teacher first what happened. But I have had a couple of parents call the school or email me ranting and raving without first getting the whole story. Children (especially pre-teens and teenagers) are VERY good at omitting important pieces of information...and definitely if it may incriminate them!
3. HAVE SOMEONE ELSE READ THE EMAIL FOR YOUR CHILD'S TEACHER BEFORE YOU SEND IT.
I have done this myself. If I've been ticked off about something, the first thing I do is let it rest for a few hours before I react. Then I sit down and compose my thoughts. But I don't send the email then. The next thing I do is have a more objective person read the email before I send it. I revise it, and then send it. Every teacher I've ever dealt with on behalf of my child has responded with a positive response. Sometimes teachers say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing. We're human; we make mistakes.
4. DON'T ASSUME THAT YOUR TEACHER WILL PROVIDE ALL NECESSARY MATERIALS FOR YOUR CHILD.
Most teachers are very giving and will gladly help out any child that needs it. I'm talking about the well-dressed kids who come to school with name brand clothes from head to toe toting a backpack that costed more than my favorite pair of shoes, and they don't have a pencil or paper. Every now and then is one thing. But the school year for most of us is 180 days long, and teachers have anywhere from 20-100 or more students they see every day. We can't be expected to have supplies for all of them. A pack of 100 pencils in my classroom and disappear faster than sheets at a Black Friday sale.
5. THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER. For the most part, we have no say so in most of the things that make you upset. We don't set when school begins, when report cards come out, the student dress code, or the weather. I'm not even kidding; I've had a parent tell me that her child shouldn't have to come to school when it rains. I don't completely disagree with her on that one. And lastly, no one hates all the testing we do more than child's teacher.
6. LOOK AT YOUR TEACHER AS AN INVESTOR IN YOUR CHILD'S FUTURE.
The person helping to educate your child has a huge responsibility placed upon him or her. This person will have some lasting effect on your child, and you want it to be a positive effect. Don't speak negatively of your child's teacher in front of him or her. Like I tell my students, you can think whatever awful things you want because then you're only hurting yourself with your negativity. But when you share those awful thoughts with your child, you make that teacher's job so much more difficult. Your child should see you and the teacher as a team...a team that sticks together. Something else I tell my students, you don't have to like everyone, but you need to respect them because everybody knows something you don't. Assume your child's teacher knows the best strategies and methods to help your child be successful, unless they show you they don't.
HERE'S THE BEST TIP: Be the kind of parent that makes your child's teacher's life as easy as possible.
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