If you have an anxious child, it’s natural to worry about how they will cope at school. A strong partnership with their classroom teacher is one of the most effective things you can do as you help your child navigate the demands of their classroom and playground. Here, Kids First’s experienced team shares some top tips for effective meetings with your anxious child’s willing, but time-poor, teacher.
Your child’s teachers play an essential role in their life, but classrooms and playgrounds are complex environments where students and teachers alike encounter their own challenges and pressures. To navigate this, a sensitive and thoughtful approach to parent-teacher collaboration is crucial.
1. Scheduling the Meeting:
- Pre-arrange the Meeting: Avoid ambushing the teacher at the classroom door or in the playground. Instead, schedule a meeting in advance. The last thing you need is your child in earshot, or your conversation being overheard by another parent. A prearranged meeting ensures privacy and gives both you and the teacher time to prepare.
- Communicate the Agenda: It’s simply respectful to let the teacher know what you’d like to discuss before you meet. This helps them prepare adequately, ensures the meeting stays focused, and gives you the best chance of getting specific answers to the specific questions you may want to ask.
2. Discussing Safety and Support Needs:
- Address Safety Concerns: If your child is prone to absconding or self-harm, communicate this to the teacher clearly. It is in your child’s best interest to provide their teacher with details about triggers, signs to watch for, and any safety plans that already exist.
- Inform about External Supports: Is your child being supported by other professionals? Share information about your child’s counsellor or psychologist, with appropriate permissions. Discuss how insights from these professionals can be integrated into the classroom setting.
3. Medication and School Support Systems:
- Medication Disclosure: Discussing the medication that your child has been prescribed can be a delicate thing to do, however, it’s helpful for teachers to know relevant information about medication or any side effects that it causes. This is particularly the case if medication affects your child’s behaviour or learning during school hours, or if it is required during off-site activities such as school camps, excursions or sports competitions.
- Inquire about School Supports: Your child may have access to extra supports at school. At your meeting, don’t forget to ask the classroom teacher about the school’s available resources, such counselling services, peer support programs, or welfare teams, and how these can complement classroom strategies.
4. Conducting the Meeting:
- Respect the Teacher’s Time: Be mindful that the teacher has many children to care for and that , after school, they may have their own obligations, including staff meetings, extra-curricular coaching duties or caring for their own children. It goes without saying that you need to be punctual and not overstay your welcome. When you keep your first meeting concise and focused, it will be more likely that the teacher will be willing to meet with you again.
- Collaborative Mindset: Approach the meeting as a collaboration, not a confrontation. Anxiety is a common concern for many children and it is quite likely that the teacher has taught anxious children before. Be open to the teacher’s suggestions and insights.
- Specific Goals: Clearly state what you hope to achieve from the meeting and make sure that you invite your child’s teacher to do the same. Whether it’s developing a safety plan, discussing classroom accommodations, or understanding school resources, when you are both specific about your objectives, your child will benefit from your conversation.
- Follow-Up Plans: Ask the teacher about the best and most appropriate way to stay in touch. When you take their lead, it is more likely that you’ll be able to agree on a plan for regular communication and updates about your child’s progress. This might include scheduled in person follow-ups, phone calls are regular intervals or a shared communication log.
Extra support for your anxious child
If your anxious child needs personalised support and guidance, Kids First’s experienced multi-disciplinary team is here to help. We offer a range of individual and small group programs, including the Cool Kids Anxiety Program and Courageous Kids Anxiety and Resilience Program.
