By: Jackie Ramírez

Effective communication is essential to create strong school-home partnerships, to increase parental involvement, and to support student learning. Just as teachers are skilled in the art of teaching, they also require knowledge and skills to effectively communicate with their parent community.

Types of students  Nerd  Indifferent guy  Preppy girl  The joker  Mr. Big stuff  Bookworm  Average Joe  The party girl/boy  Lazy and liar Types of parents  Protector role  Inadequate-Me role  Avoidance Role  Indifferent-Parent Role  The upset parent- caretaker  Parents who are really worrisome

 Don’t interrupt!  Don’t change the subject without warning  Never focus on things that can’t be changed  Don’t complain about your own agenda  Don’t engage in silent combat  Don’t start rehearsing your answer before you’ve actually heard and understood what the parent is trying  to communicate  Don’t advise unless you’re asked  Don’t try to persuade the parent that you are right and he/she is wrong  Don’t try so hard to be neutral that you show no empathy  Don’t come across as the know-it-all professional  Don’t talk compulsively and over explain  Don’t let yourself get backed into a corner by a parent who intimidates you  Don’t be so intent on solving a problem that you reach only a superficial resolution

 Eliminate distractions  Learn how to really listen.  Make and maintain eye contact.  Listen with a closed mouth.  Let your student/parent know they  have been heard.  Keep conversations brief  Express your own feel- ings and ideas when Com- municating with students and parents.  Ask the right questions.  Regularly schedule family meetings or times to talk  Try to make explanations  complete.  Admit it when you don't know something.

Every communication exchange, regardless of format, should reflect a thoughtful, planned approach and should be viewed as an opportunity for teachers to promote teacher- parent partnerships and, ultimately, to support student learning.

 Comments should be written in second person. As if you were talking to students.  Teachers should mention students’ strengths, weaknesses and recommendations to improve and/or to practice at home.  They should be well written, with appropriate spelling, cohesion and coherence. If the teacher lacks Spanish, they should have somebody check them.  Comments must match the grades they give.  Every comment should be different avoiding saying things such as “eres el mejor de la clase” “eres excelente”.  Teachers should avoid using negative words such as “Pero” “No puede” “No hace” “No estudia” “Le falta”…  Although comments should be written for students, teachers should avoid using too informal language.

Thank you very much!!!