By Beth at The Southern Schoolhouse
A new school year is beginning which usually means a new teacher, new classroom routines, new expectations and sometimes new stressors and a little anxiety. What can you do to be your child’s best advocate and alleviate some of the stress that comes with a new school year? I believe it starts with relationships. Your child’s teacher will begin building a relationship with each student on the first day of school, but I believe it is important for you as a parent to begin to build that relationship with the teacher as well.
Most school systems have an Open House before school starts so that is a good place to begin. Go in and meet the teacher, see the classroom and get the lay of the land. This is a good time to introduce yourself and your child, ask the teacher about anything your child will need to start the year and just take a look around the environment your child will be in daily. This is NOT the time to tell the teacher everything they need to know about your child. The teacher will not remember! The teacher is meeting a new class full of students and their parents. They are trying to share important things that everyone needs to know so they are not going to remember that your child has a 504, or wears glasses but needs to sit up close to the board, and all those little details. So when do you share those things? If your child has specific things the teacher should be aware of right away, send an email before school starts or the first week of school. The teacher can then read and digest the information when they are not being bombarded with a ton of details about their new students.
These days most teachers and schools have multiple ways to quickly communicate with their students’ families to share important information. Make sure you have email information and connect with any apps (like Class Dojo) that are shared with you. This will enable you to stay in close contact with the teacher and continue to build that relationship. When the teacher reaches out – even if it is a group message to all families – respond so the teacher knows you are connected and involved. When situations arise with your child that the teacher should be aware of, or you have questions regarding your child’s progress the communication will be easy and comfortable. Will there be other opportunities to advocate for your child? Absolutely! But this will give you a good start on building the relationship that will lead to good communication all throughout the year.
