The Tactful Teacher: Effective Communication with Parents, Colleagues, and Administrators

This is a terrific book dealing with all of the various forms of communication that is so critical to teaching. It discusses various types of communication styles that is common in a school and how to effectively navigate through the challenges that arise for each. Examples are the authoritarian principal, the charming coworker that manipulates others into doing his job, overbearing parents, the control freak of a coworker, etc. It will walk you through how to deal with parents, students, coworkers, support staff, etc and I found it to be very authentic. As I read through this I found myself identifying attributes of my parents and coworkers and the advice was dead on when working with them. Typical challenge areas for new teachers are how to deal with an irate parent, when and why to seek help from an administrator, the importance of identifying teachers that are mutually respected by both other teachers and colleagues and seeking advice, identifying and respecting the communication chain of command, and personal pitfalls to avoid. Time and time again I witness coworkers and parents struggle with communication in our environment due to the passion that surrounds what we do each day. I will absolutely give a copy of this to my new colleagues and take the time to discuss the various aspects covered in the book. It also helped to rejuvenate my personal commitment to have a positive communication style and it was great to just take a little bit of time to pause and contemplate everything covered. The book is also very easy and quick to read so find a copy and pass it around!

Excellent reference for teachers. Sample letters included. Discusses the role of teacher in the school and community; how to relate with people and be more sociable.