Trying to make parents happy is impossible.  Making happy parents, however, is something different.  When your goal is no longer trying to meet every need of every parent in every moment, you can focus your energy on building rewarding relationships with families.  The happier parents are, in general, the more invested we will be in what you’re doing, the more supportive we’ll be with your efforts and the less disruptive we will be to your day.

Our latest course “Making Happy Parents”, offers ten steps to build better relationships with the families of the children you teach so disgruntled parents don’t sap your energy.  Here are a few tips to get you started:

Stay Organized: A chief complaint of parents is the feeling that they are not getting correct information in a timely manner about assignments, school events and classroom activities.  Sometimes this is beyond your control but the more you can do to keep parents updated with detailed and correct information the fewer emails and calls you will have to deal with the answer questions and the more prepared your students are likely to be.

The Feedback Sandwich: You may remember this from your own reviews.  When talking to a parent about his or her child, try ‘sandwiching’ constructive feedback between encouraging comments about the child’s strengths. Parents are more likely to consider criticism if they are aware that you are also noticing what the child is accomplishing.  “Felicia is so enthusiastic about the books we read in class.  I’m noticing that she doesn’t always complete the book reports I assign, but her love of reading is exciting.”

Be Clear About Your Expectations: Tell parents what you expect of them and their children early and often.  If you are relying on a handout that was sent home the first week of school to inform parents about your grading, homework and attendance policies, there’s a good chance you’ll be repeating yourself a great deal throughout the year.  Review your expectations with students regularly and consider reminder notes, emails or update events throughout the year to inform families before there’s a problem.  Parents are likely to be more supportive when they feel informed and prepared.

For more steps towards happier parents, log in to our engagement: “Making Parents Happy”.