Editor’s Note: In the spirit of Parent-Teacher Conferences which just happened last week, and in a nod to our roots, we dig up an archival article on the importance of the parent-teacher relationship. Michael Moynihan, head of the Upper School, helps us get the right perspective on what we mean when we say “Parents are the primary educators of their children.” I once mentioned to a parent, rather in passing, that our educational philosophy at The Heights School is based on our belief that parents are the primary educators of their...

We have often heard it said that parents are the primary educators of their children.  Among others, we find the seeds of this idea in Cicero, for whom nature herself has instilled a “strangely tender love” for one’s children.  It is likewise hinted at in Aquinas, who referred to the parental care of young children as a sort of “spiritual womb”.  More to the point, just over half a century ago The Church herself, in Gravissimum educationis, has reminded us of this fundamental fact: “since parents have given children their life, they are...

An effective partnership between the school and parents is essential for a school to fulfill its mission. Any school that attempts to pass on a complete education—to pass on the riches of a culture—without actively engaging parents is bound to fail. For starters, the best possible day school simply does not have enough time to adequately educate by itself. Students attend school for roughly seven hours per day for about half the calendar days of the year. It is not realistic to expect strong results if the home environment does...

The importance of parents in the life of the school cannot be overstated. As the primary educators of their children, parents bear the responsibility for forming their sons and daughters in all areas of life. The fact that parents welcome us as teachers to partner with them in this all-important endeavor is both humbling and inspiring. With this partnership in mind, we must consider parent communication to be a primary role in our work as teachers. St. Josemaría Escrivá even went so far as to say that parents, not students,...

It was my second year teaching and I thought I had everything figured out. My seventh graders were doing great in their classes and I was imparting sage advice left and right during mentoring sessions. Nothing could slow me down. Nothing, that is, until parent-teacher conferences came around. As it turned out, over the course of the previous academic quarter, my advice had been less than satisfactory. Several parents approached me with fair criticisms and certainly knocked me down a few pegs. Pretty quickly I realized that I didn’t actually...