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Do You Know Who Teaches Your Child?

© Marie-Helen Goyetche

The school year is now under way and you’d like to talk to your child’s teacher. You have many questions and you have things you’d like to share about your child but you’re not sure how to go about it.

Most schools will distribute handbooks with information on courses and their objectives, rules and regulations and behavior codes. They will include what the procedures are for the library, the computer room, cafeteria and lunch menus and extra curricular activities. Go over the handbook once by yourself and the second time with your child and then prepare your list of questions for your child’s teacher.

During the first month of school, many schools have a “Meet The Teacher Night”. These nights are set up for parents to meet the teachers, and school administrators as well as the support staff. The parents can visit the school premises and are free to ask questions about life at school. It’s important for you to attend this special meeting to get to know who your child is spending important time with.

Unfortunately, your teacher will not be able to spend the whole evening with you. The teacher will have a lot of information to share with all parents. Remind yourself that your child is not the only student in your teacher’s class. Class sizes range from 27 to 30 kids per classroom. Plan ahead by having notes and questions ready. Should your child have an illness, a learning disability or any particular point you’d like to bring up with the teacher take this time to schedule a meeting.

Should you not be able to attend, there are ways to communicate with your child’s teacher:

- telephone
- write a note
- visit the school after the school day
- send an e-mail ( if the school is on the Net)
- make an appointment with the school administrators and/or teachers
- talk to other parents to get a feeling for the teacher but take this information with a grain of salt. First impression can be falsified.

Many schools make children use agendas. Writing notes to your child’s teacher in the agenda is another excellent way to communicate with your child’s teacher. A regular concern parent's have is toward signing the agenda. Don't do your child's homework, nor should you correct it but help in the supervision and sign the agenda on a daily basis.

When dealing with children, it’s important that all adults that surround the child back each other up. Don’t discredit what the teacher is trying to teach your child, and in return the teacher should not discredit what the parents have to say. There might be variations and differences in opinions but respect is a must. Should you and the teacher be at total opposite ends and the child is caught up in the middle – call the teacher and make an appointment. Just like when you and your spouse disagree and your child plays on that, they will play on both of you, if you and the teacher contradict each other. Some children might encounter difficulties and others will exceed the norm. Some children will love the teacher and other children will have reservations. Get the right story and get to the source.

The copyright of the article Do You Know Who Teaches Your Child? in Early Childhood Education is owned by Marie-Helen Goyetche. Permission to republish Do You Know Who Teaches Your Child? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.