Page 30 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • May 21, 2014 Tips for collaborating with your child’s teacher Parents hear it repeatedly: Building a strong school-home partnership is essen- tial to helping children do better in school. While volunteering in the classroom and attending parent-teacher conferences are two obvious ways to make the connection with a teacher, Eileen Huntington of Hun- tington Learning Center reminds parents of a number of other opportunities to build a good parent-teacher relationship. Build rapport. Certainly, your relation- ship with your child’s teacher is a profes- sional one, and most of conversations will revolve around the child and his or her learning and behavior in the classroom. Still, take time to get to know the teacher as a person. When the opportunity arises, ask the teacher a little about him or her- self, what he or she likes about teaching, or what the teacher enjoys doing outside of school. Extend kindness and respect to the teacher, just as you would with any other professional connection. Make it a team effort. Your child’s teacher wants to partner with you, so be sure he or she sees that you want the same thing. Ask regularly for suggestions about how you can best support your child’s learning and extend classroom learning through at-home activities. If a problem arises, talk with the teacher about devel- oping a plan of action and what steps you must take on your side to make that plan successful. Remember: You and your child’s teacher have the same goal. Col- laborate and communicate frequently. Provide feedback. The teacher may appreciate hearing from you when a lesson really made an impact on your child or when your child is struggling through a particular unit or subject. Provided you do this appropriately (and give your child’s teacher the benefit of the doubt if an issue arises), such proactive communication shows the teacher that you appreciate his or her efforts and that you want to work together. Offer to help. If you work full time and do not have regular opportunities to see your child’s teacher or volunteer in the classroom, send the teacher an e-mail and let him or her know how you are able to help. That might include speaking to the class about a topic about which you are knowledgeable, helping to cut paper for class crafts from home, or something else. Your child’s teacher may or may not take you up on your offer, but he or she will definitely appreciate that you want to assist. Parent-teacher collaboration benefits children in many ways, not the least of which is that it shows your child that his or her education is important to you. Seek ways to partner with your child’s teacher as often as possible. In doing so, you will notice a lasting difference on your child’s feelings about school’s importance -- and his or her overall educational experience. Founded in 1977, Huntington is a pio- neer and leader in the tutoring industry. For over 35 years, Huntington has pro- vided quality instruction to hundreds of thousands of students. Huntington prides itself on being “Your Tutoring Solution” for students in all grades and subjects and provides tutors in reading, phonics, study skills, math topics through calculus, and science subjects through physics. Hun- tington also prepares students for state and standardized entrance exams, such as high school entrance exams, and the SAT and ACT. Learn more at www.hunting- tonhelps.com.