By Dr. D. Jackson Maxwell
Anew school year is here and many parents are wondering: What can I do to get my children off to a good start? As both an educator and a parent, I recommend getting to know the teachers from the very beginning and asking what their expectations are for your children. From this conversation, you will quickly discover that they teach because they love children. Teachers are not in it for the money but rather they feel compelled to give of their time and educational talents to inspire students to learn. Over and over, I have heard teachers say their favorite part of teaching is seeing “the light go on” in a child’s face when they finally “get” what they are being taught.
So, what can we do as parents to help teachers more effectively teach our kids? First, realize that teachers view parents as crucial partners in ensuring students’ academic and social success. Parents need to be proactively involved in the educational process. Parents have to provide the social foundation upon which learning can occur. This includes both academic support at home and setting appropriate behavioral expectations for conduct at school.
For example, children should start each school day with a positive and receptive attitude. Students need to be aware that their primary job as adolescents is to perform well in school. To do this, children have to take responsibility for their actions and demonstrate this through both their social and academic performances. Students must show respect to teachers and their fellow students. As parents, we need to reinforce these expectations by insisting our children are polite, receptive to new ideas, and focused on learning.
Each morning before sending our kids to school, we need to see they have what is needed for the day. They need to be properly dressed. Basics such as pencils, pens, crayons, paper, folders, and other necessities like a lunch or lunch money are a must. Teachers usually send home a list of the supplies the first week of school. If you have not received this list, please request one. Failure to do these things only puts our children at a disadvantage but may negatively impact their self-esteem.
Equally important is to make sure our kids do not bring unnecessary, distracting or prohibited items to school. Some of these are obvious such as pocket knives, lighters, weapons, and medication. Others are less so like toys, games, candy, headphones, and electronics. Parents need to be vigilant in checking their backpacks, lunchboxes, purses, and pockets to ensure only appropriate items are going to school each day. After a lifetime of teaching, I have collected a ton of these and wasted hours of instructional time trying to eliminate these unnecessary distractions.
Another teacher pet peeve is the failure of students to return required paperwork. Parents must help to make sure our kids complete daily assignments, study for tests, read assigned books, and turn projects in on time. Due to federal, state, and local laws and initiatives, teachers and families are bombarded with paperwork from health alerts to permission forms to PTA information to progress reports and beyond. By filling the forms out and returning them promptly, you assist teachers in cutting through paperwork and getting on to the business of educating children. Finally, as parents, we need to make sure our kids are at school on time every day for the whole day. Plus, be active in your school’s parent-teacher organization.
The simple fact is that people become teachers because they want to change children’s lives for the better. Teachers want to prepare them for future challenges so that they can chase their dreams. As parents, our job is to help teachers by making sure our children are physically and mentally prepared for school each and every day, and ready to take on the challenge of learning.
Dr. D. Jackson Maxwell is a National Board Certified Teacher, educational consultant and freelance writer with over 30 years of experience. Please forward questions or comments to: djacksonmaxwell@gmail.com.
