10 Things Your Child's Teacher Won't Tell You
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Back to School Nights, Open Houses and those handy-dandy letters teachers send home to parents at the beginning of the school year are chock full of important information, true. But there are some additional truths that your child's teacher is too polite to tell you -- even though she really wishes you know.
Study these ten tips -- straight from anonymous elementary school teachers we admire -- and you'll be that much more prepared to make your child's classroom experience the best it can be.
1. We Can Really Use Supplies for the Classroom (or a Gift Card!)
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Most teachers spend almost $500 per year of their own money on school supplies for their classrooms, according to the National School Supply and Equipment Association. That's a whole lot of (play) dough! If you are able, give your teacher a gift card to a local store or ask her what items are on her wish list for the class.
2. E-mails and Notes are Easier Than Phone Calls or Conferences
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It's a teacher's job to be as accessible as possible to her students' parents. However, those parent-teacher conferences and phone calls often take place after-hours for teachers. If your request or issue can be handled over e-mail or via note, this frees up the teacher to dedicate her before- and after-school time to other important matters...like grading your child's papers.
3. We Wish You Would Chaperone Field Trips
Photo credit: Jessica McFadden
We understand that you are a working parent, whether you hit the office every day or are taking care of children at home. But we can really use your assistance on those infrequent class field trips to ensure a safe adult/child ratio. If you are able to make arrangements to miss a bit of work once in a while or secure child care for your younger children so that you can come along to that museum or pumpkin patch, we appreciate it more than we can say.
4. We Don't Mind When Your Child Misses School for Health Appointments (or Illness!)
Photo credit: Jessica McFadden
Worried about your child missing class due to a health appointment or illness? Please don't be. By all means, schedule your child's necessary well appointments and vaccinations during school hours, and keep him home if he is sick. He or she can easily make up any missed work and we are happy to help him catch up. The benefits of a healthy child -- and the overall health of the entire class -- are worth it.
5. We Can Tell If Your Child Watches Too Much Television
Photo credit: Jessica McFadden
You may think that the hours and hours of television your child watches after school and on weekends are your dirty little secret, but it is obvious to us which children get way too much screen time. Their classroom performance, attention span, behavior and even the topics that he brings up in the classrooom give it away. We wish you turn off the tube and treat television as a treat, and not as an on-all-day medium.
6. We Can Tell If Your Child Has Learned a Love of Reading at Home
Photo credit: Jessica McFadden
Just as we can tell which kids watch too much T.V., we can also easily see which children are read to and encouraged to read on their own at home. Children with a love of reading are a teacher favorite because an affection for books goes hand-in-hand with a love of learning. We hope you are reading to your children nightly and placing a weekly trip to the library on your family to-do list.
7. We Wish Your Child Got More Sleep
Photo credit: Jessica McFadden
It is obvious to us which kids in the classroom get inadequate shut-eye at home. From their yawning throughout the day and their inability to pay attention to their potential for tantrums and meltdowns, we can tell which students are staying up too late each night. Children from 3 to 6 years old require 10-12 hours per night; 7- to 12-year-olds need 10-11 hours; and teens and tweens need eight to nine hours. Please put your child to bed at a reasonable time each night and establish a calm bedtime routine to ensure she gets her necessary sleep.
8. We Prefer Simple Classroom Birthday Celebrations
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If your school allows, feel free to send in a treat for the class on your child's birthday. We are happy to help make your child feel special on his day. But please, keep it quick and simple (and make sure you have included enough for the entire class and asked about any food allergies). Teachers have a lot of learning to pack in each day, and a short classroom treat is not the time to throw your child a big birthday bash. Keep the larger partying outside of school.
9. We Love It When You Schedule Time to Volunteer in the Classroom
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If you want to volunteer in the classroom, please check with us first. Assuming our school gives the okay, we can definitely use the help and totally appreciate it. However, be sure to communicate with us about the times and days that you are available ahead of time. If you just show up, we probably don't have time to excuse ourselves from teaching to create a job for you. With just a little notice, we can maximize your valuable assistance.
10. We Love Your Children With Our Whole Hearts
Photo credit: Jessica McFadden
Although gooey proclamations of love are inappropriate in a classroom setting, please know that we sincerely love your children. They are the stars of our universe, we think about them constantly, and our love for them and their beautiful minds is the reason we got in this business!
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