Back to School

Happy New School Year!

This is a great time to start building rapport with the people that care for our children. It is important to distinguish between your need to connect with education professionals and parent involvement. If we do not we will be left feeling empty and used even after we have volunteered.

A few tips for building rapport: 1. Be congruent. It makes people feel safe when we are consistent, 2. Clarify your motives with yourself. Building rapport won't happen when we have selfish ambitions or only care about our children, 3. Understand that educators have professional ethics and these ethics are sometimes at odds with rapport building, 4. Help make ordinary events like Back to School night a time where you can connect with other parents and the teacher by adding ice breaker activities, sharing contact information, and helping to organize child-care, and 5. Remember that educators and school staff are human beings too. See them as someones mother, sister, child or brother.

Have a great year!