20 Things Teachers Want Parents to Know Ahead of a New School Year

I'm sure last year's teacher was phenomenal, but give me a chance. I've spent years honing my teaching style and classroom management procedures. Your kid is a year older and a year wiser, so they can handle a little bit of change. You might even find that my classroom ends up being a better fit!

I know, I know — there is a lot of paperwork, but it's there for a reason, I promise. Read the classroom regulations and syllabus your child brings home the first week of school. Make a copy or take a picture on your phone if you think the class rules or curriculum might be difficult for your kid to navigate. If I'm strict about, say, late work, you can help your student deal with the issue preemptively rather than after getting a less-than-stellar report card.

I have most of the information you need posted there, including upcoming events, downloadable permission slips, classwork documents your student might have lost, and even resources for helping kids with homework and projects. This saves you the time it takes to email me and wait for my response.

This is especially true if you want a timely response. I can only call parents back when I am at school, am not in meetings, and don't have students in my classroom for class, test makeups, tutoring, or supervision (such moments are rare). I can email while at home, in meetings, or even occasionally during class.

If your first email to me hasn't gotten a response in 48 hours (72 hours if you emailed on a Friday afternoon), your email has most likely been blocked by the school filter. To avoid this, ask me to email you a quick line at the beginning of the year. Your emails should bypass the filter after that.

Nudge your child to speak to me about an issue they're having in class before you get involved. If the resolution isn't satisfactory, then offer to help. This will help kids advocate for themselves, and it's a great learning opportunity not only for the classroom but in all aspects of life.

A lot gets lost in translation when the student isn't at the parent-teacher conference, and the parent misses out on a chance to check out the student-teacher dynamic. A meeting including all parties (student, parent, and teacher) can also create an opportunity to model how to constructively solve issues as a team.

I know they won't want to, but here's why it's so important: the directions and concepts will be fresh in their minds, and they won't have the assignments hanging over their (and your) heads for two weeks. This means the assignments will take less time, less frustration, and less familial strife to complete.

I don't want to give a student a poor grade; it makes me feel like I'm failing, too. But sometimes setting students up for future success means using grades to show them they're falling behind and need to work harder.

I spent a lot of time and effort assessing your child's work, so I am unlikely to give out a better grade because a child or parent asks for it. Instead, encourage your child to ask for the ability to do a revision for a better grade. This shows a desire to learn from mistakes, and teachers love it!

I try to walk a fine line of being a resource and teaching resourcefulness. If I (or you) help too much, students can develop a sort of learned helplessness.

Keep in mind that just because I'm not in the classroom doesn't mean I'm not working. I might be at a conference picking up new techniques. I might have gone home right after the final bell so I could get my grading finished without being interrupted by colleagues asking for favours. I might be out coaching the school soccer team. I grade during breaks. I plan and prepare over the Summer. I find inspiration for lessons in the aisles of the grocery store. Trust me, I'm always working.

I'm playing favourites because your child says that another student was allowed more time to take a quiz or that another kid got away with breaking a rule. Most special education students are "mainstreamed" today, and they have accommodations ranging from the use of a dictionary on a test to different consequences for behavioural infractions. These accommodations are protected by federal law, and they are confidential. This means I can't tell you which students have accommodations or what those accommodations are, even when defending what seems like unfair treatment.

I love a triumphant school film like Freedom Writers as much as the next gal, but such movies do not give an accurate representation of what it's like to teach. Have you ever noticed that teachers in movies seem to have one class comprising about 15 kids? For context, last year I taught five classes with an average of 25 kids per class.

Whenever I feel like joining the private sector, I look in my "atta-girl" folder. This folder is full of notes from students and parents thanking me. I would much rather get one of these notes than a gift card or coffee cup.

I want to have good relationships with my students and their parents. I want the best for each and every one of my kids. I want to make a difference. Help me help our student by presenting a united front.