The first two months of the school year are a period of adjustment for everyone—students, teachers, and parents. It is a time to get to know one another, understand our roles, and establish healthy relationships.
During this period, we often see a strong teacher voice. Sometimes, parents may ask teachers to deliver messages to their children, hoping that the teacher’s words will make them more obedient. As a result, children may begin to see the teacher’s instructions as something they must follow without question.
But where is the boundary?
We need to carefully maintain the positioning between teachers and parents.
A teacher is a partner to parents, not a replacement for them. A teacher can become a bridge that helps create meaningful and effective communication between parents and children—not a messenger who simply delivers parents’ commands.
When teachers repeatedly become the “voice” of parents, the relationship between teacher and student can slowly change. Instead of seeing the teacher as a trusted adult who guides, supports, and helps them learn, students may begin to see the teacher simply as another authority figure who delivers orders.
Our role is not to speak louder than parents, but to help children hear both voices more clearly.
Healthy positioning allows teachers to build trust with students while working alongside parents toward the same goal: helping children grow into responsible, confident, and independent individuals.
By Ms. Citra Dewi