This is a reblog of a post that I wrote earlier this year, but I thought it might be fitting to repeat since many of us are beginning new school years.

This morning, Edutopia published my post, “New Teachers: How to Talk to Parents.”  I feel uncomfortable giving advice on anything because I certainly don’t consider myself an expert.  Even after 26 years of teaching, I know that I have a lot to learn.  But I have a few Oprah-ish, What-I-Know-For-Sure truths that I have collected throughout my career – and I can tell you that I Know For Sure that developing a positive relationship with the parents of my students goes a long way toward developing a positive relationship with the students.