Sensitivity

Teacher Sensitivity








Teacher Sensitivity
Being a good communicator involves knowing your audience and being sensitive to the diversities of those involved.   Good parent-teacher communication can be very important to a student’s school success.   The teacher demonstrated sensitivity during her presentation in several different ways.   The first way she demonstrated this was by simply thanking the parents for attending Back-to-School Night.   This shows respect and appreciation for the parent’s time.   Another way the teacher showed sensitivity was by having a translator present.   The teacher was sensitive to the fact that many of the parents present were English language learners and by having a translator she was accommodating the language barriers that were present for some of the parents.   The teacher was also sensitive in accommodating the parents schedule and offering some extended evening hours so parents would be able to meet with her outside of the traditional school day.
Parents will respond to the display of sensitivity shown by the teacher in several ways.   When parents are shown respect and feel that the teacher values them, they are more likely to feel empowered and become more active in their child’s school career.   The teacher showed respect for the language barriers present by have a translator available during her presentation and providing a way to bridge this gap.   Mendoza discusses in her article “Communication with Parents” how many English language learners experience frustration over school to home communication.   Many of them feel cut off from important school information and have difficulty understanding what the teachers and school staff want from them (Mendoza, 2003).   By providing some extended hours the teacher is also helping to maintain open lines of communication between herself and the parents.   “By increasing communications, teachers acknowledge and build connections to focus on the common concerns of teachers and...