How to Be a Parent-Friendly Teacher with Heidi and Emily

Listen to the full episode to hear how to be a parent-friendly teacher:

Literacy Dive listeners, you are in for a treat today! On the podcast today, I’m doing something I’ve never done before, which is airing an episode from another show’s podcast. This episode is coming from the Teacher Approved podcast, co-hosted by Heidi and Emily, who share research-based and teacher approved strategies that make your teaching more efficient and effective. The episode they’re sharing with me on today’s show is on how to be a parent-friendly teacher. 

As teachers, you know that parents are your biggest allies. Having parents on your side during the school year helps make your year run smoothly when it comes to behavior issues, volunteer opportunities, and so much more. Throughout the episode, Heidi and Emily discuss what being a parent-friendly teacher means and a common misconception teachers have in being a parent-friendly teacher. 

In order to achieve that goal, they’ve come up with six tips that will help you become a parent-friendly teacher. To gain further understanding, Heidi and Emily explain each tip, share how to achieve them, and provide real-life examples. Those tips are:

1. Communicate frequently
2. Always start with the positive
3. Never share a problem without a plan
4. Treat parents with respect
5. Invite parents to be involved
6. Respect parent and family time

Being on the same page as parents helps in the academic and social-emotional learning of your students. Heidi & Emily share 6 amazing and effective tips that give you an opportunity to make implementations that can change the relationship you have with parents for the rest of the school year. This was a fun opportunity to learn more about how to be a parent-friendly teacher!

In this Episode on How to be a Parent-Friendly Teacher, Heidi and Emily Share:

• The definition of a parent-friendly teacher
• Tips on how to effectively be a parent-friendly teacher
• Why starting with positive communication is always beneficial 
• Being mindful of parent projects and how a students’ time is spent in the evenings
• A reminder that you and the parent are on the same team with the same goal in mind

Resources Mentioned:

• Join the Writing Made Simple Membership
• Check out Second Story Window’s Homework Resources

Connect with Heidi and Emily:

• Listen to their Teacher Approved Podcast
• Follow them on Instagram @2ndstorywindow
• Shop their teacher-approved resources
• Join their Facebook group, Teacher Approved

Connect with Megan:

• Check out my TpT Store
• Subscribe to my E-mail list
• Instagram Posts
• Blog Posts
• Facebook Posts

About The Literacy Dive Podcast:

Do you find yourself seeking new ideas when it comes to literacy instruction in elementary classrooms? The Literacy Dive Podcast was created to offer actionable steps and to share information for teachers, like you, who are always looking to improve their craft! ELA is our jam and we are excited to dive into all things reading and writing with you!

Your host, Megan Polk, is the creator and owner behind The Literacy Dive and loves to support students and their teachers with curriculum, literacy instruction, best practices, and engaging literacy activities.

Dive in with us every Monday for a new episode from Megan! She, and her guests, will chat about various literacy topics and will bring you tips and tricks that can easily be implemented in your classrooms. You can tune in wherever you get your podcasts! Listen to The Literacy Dive Podcast on platforms like Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Google, and more!