After a long summer break, most kids are ready to go back to school, but are the parents? Teachers agree that parents are one of their greatest resources for achieving student success. Whether your child is attending public, private, Montessori or other type of school, the teachers all have some basic advice for parents to ensure a positive and successful academic journey this year.
Here’s what teachers tell us:
Communicate
We communicate with parents in a variety of ways that includes everything from phone calls and newsletters to emails and conferences. We want parents to keep us informed about what’s going on at home that might affect your child’s behavior or academic performance. We also want to know how what we do at school affects the student at home. Also, tell us what your goals are so that we can both track your child’s progress.
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We want you!
Come in. Look around. Check out the textbooks and materials. Knowledge is power. When you know about the subjects we teach, you will be able to help your child better and have a common understanding for discussion. Volunteering is a wonderful way to learn about what goes on at school and to show your child how much you care about what they are doing.
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Let them play
Lots of play and free time have been squeezed out of the school day and replaced with a demanding curriculum at an early age. So while you’re scheduling dance practice, soccer games and tutoring, be sure to limit TV and video game time — and definitely pencil in time for kids to just be kids.
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Read
Books are the gateway to building vocabulary, listening and literacy skills. Reading once per day is great, but encourage your child to read more frequently. Talk about what you’ve read and encourage a variety of subject matter from fiction and non fiction.
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While your child is doing his homework, sit down at the table with him and make your grocery list, balance your checkbook and do other tasks. It’s a terrific way to let your children know you are right there for them if they need help, and also allows you to get some things done for yourself.
Get to love homework
We teachers give homework to extend the learning of the classroom. It’s a chance for you to find out what your child is studying and how well he is grasping the material taught at school. Talk with your child about homework. It shows him that you care and value what he does at school.
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Stay healthy
Schools and classrooms don’t have to be cesspools of yucky germs. Keep your kids healthy by making sure they eat right, get plenty of exercise and practice good personal hygiene that includes proper hand washing and bathroom etiquette.
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Problems
We make the effort to contact you at the first sight of a problem, so please do the same for us. Please be specific so that we can come up with a plan together on how to address the problem.
An effective parent-teacher partnership fosters a positive and nurturing environment for the child, no matter what the school or grade level.
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