Forget the phone. Listen with your eyes as well as your ears. Look your child in the eye as you listen. Encourage your child to open up. Try setting aside some time each day to talk about school.
All people think faster than they speak.
And because children have a smaller vocabulary and less experience expressing themselves, they take even longer to find the right work. Make your child feel you have all the time in the world. Listen to non-verbal messages. Tone of voice, facial expression, posture and energy level often say as much as the words your child is speaking. Each morning at John R. Bonfield Elementary School, the children are greeted as they enter the building.