First Day/Week Don'ts

Excited Kindergarten teacher

If you are reading this right now it may be a little too late!  Not really.  I know that every child in the class is the most important child to someone.  The problem is most teachers have 22 of the 'most important' children.  Teachers, whether they be Mother's Day Out, preschool, Kindergarten or even high school, want to know about your child.   They want to hear about your child's likes and dislikes, things that upset them, etc.   Just not on the first day of school at the room door.

Even when I was young and could remember things, I would tell my parents to please write it down. When you have parents telling you things at the door that first day or even week, as a teacher you are still trying to put names with faces.  During the day, you stop and think, who was that that told me...

If there are things that are really important to you to share, ask to set a conference within that first week.  That way the teacher can take notes.  Sometimes you just want to share your child's anxieties...that's fine, just not at the door as all the kids are coming in.

In fact, I always appreciated parents setting a time to visit with me the first week of school.  It wasn't long, just a couple of minutes but it allowed me to get to know them a little and start to build a relationship.  (Ahhh, that relationship thing!)

Understand that most classes start off slowly.   There are a lot of rules and procedures that have to be introduced and practiced.   Yes, for some, even getting in a line takes practice.  Don't judge the whole year and what your child will learn on the first day, week or even 2-3 weeks.  If you are concerned, set a time to visit and ask questions.

Basically, don't say anything other than good morning at the classroom door and if you need to say more, write it down and hand it to the teacher.  Remember, you can always set a conference time.