Any effective ways of getting a child to be confident talking to teachers ?

[babydoll]

I'm hoping that some of you may be able to give some ideas here. My daughter (4 years old) interacts and plays well with her friends and classmates. She can be initially a bit shy with adults that she meets for the first time, but quickly loses this shyness after the first hour or so. Her teacher is not worried about any major problems with her at school - she participates during circle time, expressive and receptive speech is fine, plays with her friends and is interested in sports. In fact, the teacher commented that she is very good in a group situation, ie. works well with others and shows confidence in participating in group acitivities.

One thing, however, is that she consistently lacks confidence in talking to her teachers if it's on a one to one basis. Example - when the teacher talks to her alone, she would answer in a very soft voice and look down. She can still get her message across but obviously does not seem to enjoy this type of situation. However, if the teacher talks to her when she is in a group, she's fine and will talk to her as per normal.

This behaviour is nothing new as it has been ongoing since she started going to school. We've been constantly gently reminding her and even occasionally 'bribing' her to speak up and look at her teachers, but I'm worried that this will become a habit. Another concern is that the 'interviews' will be coming up next year and some interviews will be on a one to one basis !!!

I hope she will grow out of it, but does anyone have any good suggestions on what else we can do ?

 

[alfa]

As a kindergarden teacher I can ttell you that you should not push her or bribe her to do so - this will backfire and possibly make her even more shy. I have seen so many parents doing that and honestly I feel really sorry for the kids who are constantyly reminded to speak to the teacher or look me in the eye. She will start when she is ready to - it sunds like she is well adapted and sociable with her peers and if the teacher is not concerned I think you should just let her be. I know that all the parents (myself included) worry about the interviews but I believe a good school wil spot the potential thru assessing all areas of the child's development as every child practitioner knows that children are individuals who need space, stimulation and ongoing support to develop .