One of the most important roles you can play for your child is not just the role of the primary caregiver, but the role of being an advocate for your child. Whether your child has an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) or you just want to speak up about your concerns you have over your child, here are a few tips to create an open, honest, and collaborative relationship with your student's teacher. Although a bit difficult to navigate, the New York City Department of Education has provided a lot of resources on their website. I have provided a few of their documents here along with resources, links, and contacts, which you may find useful.

1) Be open. If you have concerns about your child, even before the school year starts, contact your future teacher. There is no harm in telling your child's teacher early on about what they experienced last year or to voice your concerns about bullying, gender harassment, or other issues. It is better to start the dialog early because the teacher can plan accordingly to include those concerns in his/her teaching. The best teacher are the ones that are prepared, and not just curricular-wise, but prepared in the sense that he/she understands the students that are coming into the classroom. Some teachers do home-visits, other teachers do early family meetings at school to get to know the family of the student. If your teacher does neither, think of some ways you can engage with your students' teacher that allows them to understand the family, the culture, and your concerns, if any. Also, be sure to listen to the teacher and what tips or concerns he or she may have from being with your student in class. Both observations, from the family and the teacher, will help create a clear channel of communication between you and your child's teacher.
2) Be respectful. While parents always want their child to be the center of all attention (and rightfully so!), that does not mean you can demand your emails or phone calls be answered immediately. Teachers have staff meetings, professional development, separate meetings with families, administrative work, curriculum planning, and lots of emails from nearly every one of their 27 children's families they need to tend to. If the teacher does not respond immediately, give it some time, unless it is an urgent and important matter. It will help the relationship if you know that as professionals, teachers have a lot on their plate that they are juggling, which most of the time, cannot be finished within the 10-hour work day.
3) Be honest. It will help the relationship a lot if you say your honest opinion or concern. Use "I statements," for example, "I am concerned that my child is not being pushed in class." NOT "You are not pushing my child enough." Even if you use statements like "I think you are not pushing my child enough," it puts the locus of the problem on the teacher and is an evaluative statement of the teacher. Evaluative statements are judgments that can harm a relationship because being inherently interpretative, it can be wrong. Aim for observation statements. For example, "My child seems to only come home with a few pages of homework each day and finishes them accurately and quickly. He tells me he wishes he had more." While you want to be honest, communicating in a way that is not blunt, but refined and observational will help with being honest in a tactful way. But, the key is to be honest with yourself, the situation, and the teacher.