At the beginning of the school year, parental involvement is one of my very highest priorities in my classroom. I think teachers make a big mistake if view parents as anything other than indespensable collaborators. I grew up as a competitive paddle tennis player. In paddle tennis, all the tournaments were doubles tournaments. With my partner and myself, more important than our serves, forehands or backhands; how we got along together. We sink or swim together. The fate of our team depended upon the strength of our relationship. We rely on each other and we need to support one another, unconditionally. When I started teaching, I carried that same notion of partnership to the classroom. It's absolutely critical that parents and teachers work together for the benefit of kids. Parents are in possession of knowledge that teachers need. Teachers are in possession of knowledge that parents need. The lines of communication need to be wide open throughout the year. In addition, parents can provide wonderful volunteer support in the classroom and provide service in other ways. Kids will behave differently when they know that teachers and parents work together, and the opposite is also true. There are many, many reasons for parents and teachers to work closely throughout the year.