Teacher to Parent

Nine Things Teachers Wish Parents Knew

1. Don't Be a Stranger: Talk to your child's teacher early and often. Stay in touch with updates on how things are gong at home, questions about your child and his/her work, or to schedule conferences to head off trouble. Most teachers have e-mail at school, which is a great way to check in.

2. Learning Doesn't Stop When the Last Bell Rings: You can help the teacher do a better job by encouraging your child to show yo something he/she is working on at school. It doesn't have to be a big deal. Ask your child to demonstrate how he/she does long long division, or to read his/her book report out loud to you. Every time your child gets a chance to show off what he/she knows , it build confidence.

3. Stay Involved – Even When You Don't Know the Material: You can provide moral support and be your child's cheerleader no matter how well (or poorly) you did in a certain subject. You don't need to be an expert on every subject. Just knowing you are paying attention can be very motivating for your child.

4. Keep Your Child Organized and Help Teachers with the Paper Chase: Have your child empty his/her backpack every day as part of a regular after-school routine. But, don't ever go through your child's paper without your child there to help explain what each paper is. You might throw something important away! Set up a special place where he/she can put that day's papers to work on, and another place to put old assignments that you want to save. A brightly-colored folder is a good idea, too for toting homework and signed papers to and from school.

5. Let Your Child Make Mistakes: Don't forget, he/she is learning! Teachers don't want perfect students, they want students who try hard. Sometimes parents get caught up in thinking every assignment has to be done exactly right, and they put too much pressure on their child. It's OK for kids to get some problems wrong. It's important for teachers to see what students don't know, so they can go over the material again.

If your child is having trouble with homework, let him/her take charge by asking the teacher for help the next day.

And remember to keep your hands off the big assignments and projects. Too many times students bring in reports and projects that are clearly not the work of someone their age. Teachers are happier with work that is less perfect, but clearly the child's own work. What matters isn't the final result; it's letting a child have ownership of the project.

6. Raise a Good Reader: Even if your child isn't a natural-born bookworm, you can encourage him/her to love literature. Keep reading together, even if you kid can breeze through a book on his/her own. Reading aloud can expand his/her vocabulary, and your chats about the book will help him/her understand and enjoy more. But, you might want to shelve books that sseem way over his/her head. It's tempting to push literary limits, but the goal is understanding and enjoyment.

7. If the Teacher Deserves a Good Grade, Give Him/Her One: Teaching isn't easy, and there are days when a kid has a tantrum, or a teacher feels like crying because a parent speaks too harshly. So why not e-mail or call when you child enjoys a class even or says something nice about the instructor? And, If you feel the teacher is doing a good job, let the principal know. Volunteering is another way to demonstrate your enthusiasm and support, even if you only have time to help out once a year. It shows your child, and his/her teacher, that you really care about his/her education.

8. The Teacher's on Your Side – Give Him/Her the Benefit of the Doubt: A lot of parents go into attack mode when their child complains about a teacher, or they take the problem to the principal, so the teacher feels blindsided. Parents need to talk with the teacher and get all the facts before they react.

9. There's a Secret to Better Grades: Let this year's teacher know, early on, an struggles your child had the previous year such has struggling in math or trouble getting homework turned in. Also, check the school district's or teachers' websites in order to stay on top of your child's assignments, grades, test dates, scores, and more. Find out what resources there are for you, and use them.