For those of you who may not know this, I am a teacher. This September marks my 14th school year ~ um, seriously? Wow. Where did that go? I began my career in Chelsea, MA. teaching fifth grade for two years. Then I moved on to the Sudbury Public Schools for five AMAZINGLY WONDERFUL years teaching both fifth and third grade. I spent one year as a reading teacher at Blake Middle School in Medfield, MA and have been an elementary reading specialist in Foxborough for the however many more years that would add up to 13 or 14. I’m a reading teacher people, not a math specialist.
What I do know is this. Teachers work their tails off. Teachers choose this career path because they are the dedicated kind who prefer the intrinsic reward of watching kids learn and make gains each and every day over the big bucks and a cubicle. Being a classroom teacher can be quite challenging when parents are not supportive or appreciative. I miss classroom teaching. I really do. But then I remember the select few (ahem, terrible, whiny parents) who can make a school year a living hell for a classroom teacher. It’s a big ball of wax, teaching.
Want to start the year off right with your child’s teacher? I have ten helpful tips for parents:
- Return paperwork. Return it on time. Don’t lose it. All those papers are important and we need to get them back. Don’t make us hunt you down. (Don’t forget to cut at the dotted line and not send in the stuff that should remain at home!)
- Get your child to school on time. Your child is missing something when they are not present and disrupting others when they are tardy. Make sure they get enough rest and eat a healthy breakfast.
- Be nice. Say please and thank you. Smile at your child’s teacher. Don’t be afraid. We are human.
- Don’t do your kid’s homework. You’ve already done third grade, seventh grade and the rest of it. If your kid is struggling, please let the teacher know. Oh, and don’t do your kid’s projects either. I’ll let you in on a little secret: We actually know when you do the work! It’s quite obvious. SHOCKER!
- Did your child’s first week go off without a hitch? Is he/she all smiles and happy getting off the bus? Send an email or a hand-written note thanking your child’s teacher for a job well-done.
- Send in some antibacterial wipes and tissues. We go through them fast! We love them! We can’t get enough! Oh, and don’t send your kid to school sick ~ especially with pink eye. We really don’t like that one. Oh, and maybe lice too. That one’s a doozie.
- Pick your battles. Lay off sometimes. (This is for more down the road, maybe December, March?) There’s not much difference between a 99 and a 98. We do make mistakes sometimes. Use your judgement. Remember, we are human. It’s only elementary school/middle school/high school. In most cases, no one is going to die.
- Do call us and email us when you DO have important issues worth addressing. Don’t let the issues fester. We like to nip things in the bud. We like parents who are proactive rather than reactive.
- Remember, we typically love your kids. We typically love you too (the majority of you really are wonderful, amazing parents.) If you get your knickers in a twist, and keep twisting those knickers all year long, you suck the fun right of teaching. Try not to do that. It really sucks when we can’t sleep at night because your knickers are all bunched up.
- Volunteer to help out if you can. We love it when you can take on tasks like book orders, laminating, photocopying…ask your child’s teacher how you could help out.
There you have it. Mrs. Stow’s ten steps for a successful school year. What did I miss? Let’s hear some of your wonderful ideas on how to start the school year off right!
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Love these 10 helpful tips! Well said Annie! I hope you have a wonderful school year!
After a rough teacher-student match last year, I was over the moon thrilled this afternoon when my newly-minted 2nd grader burst out of school all smiles and exhuberance, his enthusiasm for learning reignited for the coming year.
I try to be a supportive link in the teacher-student-parent chain, but I never thought to send a thank you note or email right off the bat — I’m off to do just that right now!
Thanks for the great reminders & tips!
Thank goodness I don’t have you to deal with as a teacher. geez.
The fact that you are still of the mentality that you deal with the teacher and not the other way around pretty much confirms you are the parent she’s speaking to. Not only do I not have a problem with anything she says, it can really be applied to any relationship you have. Do what needs to be done, be nice, address problems in the beginning, and help out. Works for everything.
Thanks Julie! I whole-heartedly agree!
Thanks for the great tips! I really liked the one about sending a note or e-mail if the first week goes well. I hadn’t thought of that, but I love it!
Love these tips. Having two teachers in my family has given me a new appreciation for all that they do. I’ve noticed that there can be lots of out of pocket expenses, too. I was thrilled this year when one teacher posted a “giving tree” on the white board on back to school night. Basically, she drew a tree and attached brightly colored post it notes (leaves) with needed items (crayons, glue sticks, Clorox wipes) written on them. A creative, fun visual of an ask and the tree was bare by the end of the night.
Love this list Annie, especially the knicker twisting comment. The one thing I would add is to be mindful of the amount of emails that a parent might send to a teacher. Every year there seem to be more and more parents who get frustrated and try to alleviate their anxiety by sending not 1, but dozens of emails per day to a teacher, which can be completely disrespectful.
SO true, Keri! Nothing worse than coming into school to find six emails from the same mom. Sometimes it’s so much easier to pick up the phone!
Love this! I go back to teaching on Tuesday! Great tips! Erin
Thanks, Erin! Happy New Year to you! Hope it is a wonderful start!
What a smart, reasonable list! I hadn’t thought of sending an email if the first goes well, so thanks for that tip!
As the mom of one of your former 3rd/5thgraders, I’m sorry I never sent you a note. Better late than never! Thank you, thank you for being an awesome, inspiring and patient teacher with Paul. The academic chops he has now as a sophomore at Tufts are due in large part to the great beginning he had with you (ok, and Anderson, too–in case he reads this!). You are a pro. Wish all my kids had you!
I always feel like I’m bugging the teacher. It’s nice to know teachers appreciate an involved parent.
Fab post! Will be following and taking some of this advice for making the most of the school year!