Physical Education Teachers

4. Communication with parents

This step supports the idea that sports play a significant role in numerous children’s lives. For many children, sports participation is a positive and enjoyable experience, whereas for others, sports can become a negative and stressful experience. Children’s sports participation may be influenced by numerous factors but parents seem to be the most important. Parents play a significant role in supporting their children’s health and learning, guiding their children successfully through school processes, and advocating for their children and for the effectiveness of schools. Parent engagement in schools is defined as parents and school staff working together to support and improve the learning, development, and health of children and adolescents.
Children and adolescents are establishing patterns of behavior that affect both their current and future health. At this age young people are vulnerable, at risk for engaging in tobacco, alcohol, or other drug use etc. However, enhancing the role plyed by protective factors in their lives can help them avoid such risks. Engaging parents in their children’s and adolescents' school life is a promising protective factor. Research shows that parent engagement in schools is closely linked to better student behavior, higher academic achievement, and enhanced social skills. Parent engagement also makes it more likely that children and adolescents will avoid unhealthy behaviors, such as tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use.
This step defines parent engagement in schools, identifies specific strategies and actions that schools can take to increase parent engagement, common ethical issues school and parents have to deal with, ways school staff can connect with parents, solutions for six common challenges to sustaining parent engagement and communication with them on ethical issues.

Learning Objective

The objective of this step is to provide a range of ways that parents and teachers can communicate with each other in order to educate students in the spirit of ethical values.

Online Resources

• The European fair play movementThe site aims to promote fair play and tolerance in the broadest sense (in sports and everyday life) in Europe by supporting its members, helping to promote fair play campaigns where sports organizations take the initiative, co-operating with authorities, communities or parents to foster fair play themes and by facilitating regular contacts between the various European sports organizations.
• Right to playA humanitarian, non-governmental organization committed to improving the lives of the most disadvantaged children and linking them with their communities through sport.
• Anastasios G. Rodis, Swedish Swimmers’ Perception of Parental InvolvementSports plays a significant role in numerous children’s lives. For many children, sports participation is a positive and enjoyable experience, where as for others, sports can become a negative and stressful experience. Children’s sports participation may be influenced by numerous factors but parents seem to be the most important.
• Ethical and safe use of the internetThe material presents the New York libraries policy, which informs teachers, parents and students about the ethical use of information and technology in libraries.
• The Heritage Code of Ethics for Educators and FamiliesIt sets out a framework for reflection about the ethical responsibilities of early childhood professionals and the standards of behaviour expected of all staff and enrolled families.
• ETHICS, USA, Parent Participation Program – Parental InvolvementThe site presents the objectives of the parent participation programme.
• Jeff Haefner, How to Work with Parents the "Right Way" and Avoid Unpleasant ProblemsThe article gives valuable tips that can help PE teachers improve communication with players and their parents. Open communication is the most important tool teachers and coaches have when it comes to working with parents.
• Lindsey C. Blom, Dan Drane, Parents’ Sideline Comments: Exploring the Reality of a Growing IssueThe article states that researchers, PE teachers, parents, coaches, and youth sport administrators have to work together to make sport as fun and rewarding for children as possible. The article examines the effects of various types of comments on students’ behavior in sports.
• Strategies for Involving Parents in School HealthThe study presents strategies for involving and engaging parents in the school activities.
• The Guardian: “Five of the best apps that help teachers communicate with parents”The article presents the best digital tools for getting parents engaged in learning, from instant messages home to performance data at the touch of a button.