#38 How to Build Relationships with Parents: 3 Tips to Get Them to Know, Like and Trust You

The topic of today’s show is building relationships with your student’s parents and this topic is one that is truly one of the areas that is often overlooked in its importance when it comes to being a great special education teacher.

Knowing how to work with parents of students with special needs is just as important as knowing how to help the students themselves and having been a special educator for 26 years, I have worked with a LOT of different parents. 

And through those interactions, I’ve found that parents (for the most part) fall in 3 different categories...

1. Very Involved
2. Somewhat Involved and
3. Uninvolved

One type isn’t any better or worse than the other. You can build relationships with all of them and bring the parents into your world so that they can learn to trust that you have their child’s best interest at heart.

But there is one thing all of these parents have in common...they are giving you the best they have. They are sharing their child with you. They want you to love their child as much as they do and they want you to protect them from all the evils in the world the same way they do.

So no matter where they fall on my little continuum of parent involvement, you need to be building and nurturing that relationship with them so that they get to know, like and trust you and in this episode I go over the 3 best ways I've found to do just that.

>> Make a good first impression
>>Open the lines of communication before a situation arises
>>Educate the parent using everyday language

When you can achieve these 3 things you will be well on your way to developing the kind of relationship that is best for you, the parent and the child.

Mentioned in the Show...
What's Your Special Educator Superpower Quiz

Parent Handbook for Special Education

A Visual to Understanding Percentiles [Freebie]

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