Building a Better Bridge: An Educator’S Guide to Improving Communication with Students and Parents

By Justin Davis

This book is written with the hope of teaching anyone how to communicate effectively with students and parents in schools. Throughout its seven chapters you will learn how small phrases can create appropriate and productive dialogue between educators, students, and parents regardless of how challenging the topic of discussion might be. Each chapter ends by suggesting to the reader purposeful and practical actions that can be implemented immediately.

Educators who are looking to improve their ability to communicate effectively and strengthen their relationships with students, parents, and coworkers will benefit tremendously from reading this book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Sep 15, 2017
• ISBN: 9781546207146

Book preview

© 2017 Justin A. Davis. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse  09/04/2017

ISBN: 978-1-5462-0715-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-0714-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017913699

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Foreword

Chapter 1  Good Morning

Chapter 2  How Are You Doing?

Chapter 3  I Could Really Use Your Help

Chapter 4  Come On In So We Can Talk, Please Have A Seat

Chapter 5  Let Me Make Sure I Understand What You Are Saying?

Chapter 6  I’m So Sorry….

Chapter 7  Thank You

Foreword

Working as a high school principal in the city of New York is one of the most challenging occupations in the country. The pressures of budgeting, curriculum development, board meetings, PTA, state exams, student discipline, parent complaints, teacher complaints, student complaints, custodial complaints, security complaints, other school leader complaints, etc. The etc. just basically means more complaints, Lol! Seriously though, being a principal in NYC is one of those jobs that you can only have success long term if you are a master of human relationships. There are those who have found a way to lead with a style of dictatorship, then there is me, who has found a way to build relationships with everyone with the goal of creating an atmosphere of We.

There is no other profession in the world that prepares a person for understanding the importance of human relationship better than being a principal in the U.S.A. We are a melting pot that has created a constitution that encourages free thinking and individual liberties but then we force everyone with these individual wills and free thinking to not only coexist but to also conform to a structured environment and way of life by sending us all to what is known as School. The person that oversees this task must either be a master relationship builder, an intolerant dictator with an ego the size of Mt. Everest, or a person willing to learn how to be one or the other. So, if you are the person willing to learn you’re reading the right book.

The problem that is most pressing in our world today isn’t crime, it’s not poverty, it’s not our educational system, it’s something that touches every one of these topics, it’s our inability to communicate and build healthy relationships. Think about it, all three of the problems I just mentioned could be solved if people could come together and agree to address these issues.

My goal in writing this book is to teach educators how simple statements followed by consistent intentional behavior can lead to building a great relationship with their parents and students. I plan to do all of this by sharing some of