Teacher Troubles: 4 Tips on How to Help Your Child
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Subject Line: Teacher Troubles
Parents,
At some point in your child’s education, you may run across a scenario where you or your son or daughter struggle with their teacher. When this moment occurs, how and what you do can often make or break a school year’s experience.
So in today’s video, we give you four practical tips on how to help your child with teacher troubles, so you can create a new opportunity for your child to grow and learn. To watch this brief video that is less than five minutes, click the link below.
https://vimeo.com/parentministry/review/565927310/f86c936161
As always, it’s my pleasure to serve you and your family. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to call.
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Subject Line: 4 Tips on How to Help Your Child
Parents,
When a child is experiencing anxiety due to a teacher-related circumstance, the situation can feel long, powerless, and hopeless. We want to help ease some of the burdens by sharing four ways that you, as a parent, can do something about it. It is possible to come alongside your child and help them thrive, not just survive, as they struggle relationally with a teacher.
To view the brief, encouraging video, click:
https://vimeo.com/parentministry/review/565927310/f86c936161
VIDEO
SOCIAL MEDIA SWAG
Has your child ever experienced anxiety around a teacher? In our new parent video, learn 4 practical tips to help your child with teacher troubles. Check your inbox for more info.
Learn how to come alongside your child and support them. Check your inbox for more!
Parents, we have a new video for you that gives you simple tips to help your child relationally with their teacher. Check your inbox for more.
In our new parent video, 4 Tips to Help Your Child with Teacher Troubles, we give you practical and simple ways to help your child build people skills.
VIDEO SCRIPT
Many of us instantly remember a hard time we had with a teacher. So when your child has a similar experience, the memories start flooding back. How, in that moment, do you parent your child with wisdom? How can you help them navigate tension with their teacher? In today’s video, I give you four tips on helping your child with teacher troubles.
First, ask questions. They may not know how to say to you, “Hey dad, something’s going on in my classroom, or something’s off with my teacher, or I’m struggling, so…” But if something is happening at school, you may begin to notice something is a bit off with your child over a consistent period of time. Ask them some specific questions about their class…friends, school work, teachers. These questions help identify a possible struggle through the process of elimination. Because they may not be able to put words to how they feel, your questions help them open up and communicate what is going on inside. And once they speak to you, they can take the load off what they’re holding on inside. And now, you’re free to access the next best step to work towards a solution.
Second, when there is tension is with a teacher, if age and situationally appropriate, ask your child to begin first by communicating to the teacher. This step does two things. They need to learn how to speak up for themselves and learn how to share. You can coach and practice with them at home by role-playing where you are the teacher. Use this time to speak courage into your child and ask them to practice standing up for themselves in a respectful way to a teacher. Give them places to practice communication through difficult times. If you do, you give your child confidence in themselves.
Now there are certain situations where you skip this step because your child needs an advocate. But use your judgment if that advocate needs to be them first or you. An adult-type scenario that is going on in the classroom needs an adult for an adult discussion. Use discernment to take the following steps, such as schedule a phone call, send an email, or make an appointment.
Third, offer empathy by sharing a story when you had a tough time with a teacher. Try to include descriptions such as the location of your desk or the look of the playground. When you give detailed descriptions in your stories, you invite your child into a moment where they experience it with you. Expand on your thoughts and feelings about how hard it was with your teacher, keeping it age-appropriate. Ask them about their thoughts and feelings. Use this time as a way to connect while encouraging your child that they are not alone.
Last, for older children, use this moment to explain how they are building people skills. One day, they may have a boss or co-worker with whom they disagree. Or they may struggle to communicate with their spouse. Each of these scenarios requires relationship skills, so the teacher troubles they face today can serve a bigger purpose than just “5th grade probs.” Help your child find the positive “relational” nugget by teaching them about how to work with people through tension.
Teacher troubles are not an easy path to navigate with your child, but they don’t have to “ruin the year.” It’s possible for the tension to create a new opportunity for your child to grow, learn, and mature. Remember to: ask questions/ if appropriate, ask your child to talk first/ offer empathy/ and connect it to building people skills. With these four tips, your child doesn’t just have to survive. They can thrive.
