header
Even the teacher has a lot to learn when the school year begins

 

Even the teacher has a lot to learn when the school year begins

Whether your school year has already begun or is just about to, you and your children are embarking on a journey with many new beginnings.  For our family, our identical triplet boys will be starting kindergarten, our six year old daughter will be starting second grade and our eight year old will be entering fourth grade at a new school.  All of them will have new bus monitors, new classrooms, new experiences and new teachers.  One of the things I’ve learned over the years is that teachers experience a lot of new things as well – not the least of which is about twenty new smiling (hopefully!) faces staring back at them as the school year begins.

As it turns out, teachers need and appreciate a little assistance in getting to know your little one.  As the school year kicks off, send an email or schedule a brief conference to share the specifics you think they should know; the better they know your child, the better the school year will be. For everyone!  Here are a few considerations to get you started:

(more…)

Last week our two “big” kids got their report cards.  We were a bit nervous about the parent-teacher conferences since it sometimes feels as though it’s not only the students being graded — and, in fairness, when your first grader writes about the day you forgot to pick her up at the bus stop, it’s not the best reflection of your parenting skills!

As we faced their teachers across the pint-sized desks, we were delighted to learn our kids are both doing really well.  Sure he can be a bit sloppy or she could try a little harder but the reality is, they are doing it all — reading, writing and arithmetic.  And, even more importantly, they are kind, respectful and well-liked.  Gotta say, my husband and I were high-fiving each other as we left those little desks and skipped out the door.  Something is working — between the kids, their teachers and us, things seem to be moving along in the right direction and that deserves some recognition and celebration. So, how did we celebrate? (more…)