Last year was Mary and my first year as elementary parents. It was a big transition for our families and we did a ton of homework to prepare our kids for their new community. In addition, Mary volunteered for her PTO and I was just elected to my School Governance Committee.
This year, I wanted to share more about how we’re approaching Back-to-School and supporting our teachers now that we have our feet wet.
Classroom Supplies
On this topic, I referred back to this viral video from a mom shopping for her BTS list. No joke, I would buy my kids’ teachers anything they asked for. For perspective, my girls go to a Title I school, meaning that the overall demographics of our school zone skew toward lower income. While our school has great programs to help with food insecurity, language translation, and after school programs, the teachers also ask for communal supplies: plastic bags, cleaning wipes, multiple boxes of crayons and pencils, hand sanitizer, etc.
The kids also have a snack break in the afternoon and a lot of kids don’t or can’t bring snacks daily. Troy and I usually grab an extra box of protein bars or Goldfish that the girls can bring to their classroom for the communal pantry.
I also don’t have to remind parents that teachers get very little funding for their classroom supplies/decorations/furniture and so on, with many using their own personal money to create your kid’s learning environment. So 100%, on Open House day, ask your new teacher if there is anything they need and deliver.
Community
There are a handful of super popular social media accounts where teachers share their most cringe teaching stories. A solid percentage of these stories are from parents who, for lack of a better term, are total Karens.
Yes, we all want the best for our kids and you are your child’s best advocate. However, keep in mind that your child is part of their classroom community. They want to fit in and make friends and have a good relationship with their teachers. So a parent busting in, yelling and being difficult doesn’t help their child feel like they are in good standing with their community. At worst, this could lead to embarrassment, uncomfortableness with their teacher, or thinking their teacher hates them by proxy.
It is in your best interest to create a good rapport with your kid’s teachers and should a situation pop up, approach it with discretion and an open mind. This also signals to your kid that not only do you trust their teacher, but they can trust their teacher as well. This doesn’t always come easy, but bear in mind that your teacher is juggling 18, 20, 30+ kids daily.
Another thing I noticed last year was that our school has a fairly straight-forward Parent-Student Handbook. Read this multiple times. Some schools require you to sign a contract at the beginning of the year confirming that you have read it completely. There are rules in their about kid’s allergies, keeping medication at the school, what you can and cannot do for birthday parties, appropriate ways to contact your teacher, etc. This is Bible. Regardless of how petty or ridiculous or overprotective you think it is that you can’t bring cupcakes into the classroom, they are in place for a reason. And that reason is generally for the safety of the community.
Teachers can be parents, too
Parents can burn out. Teachers can burn out. Teachers who are also parents can get burnt out from both ends. Could you imagine trying to help your kid with their homework or managing their extracurriculars or handling their IEP, and then also coming to work every day and managing all of that for 20+ other kids?
This is why teachers need to put up boundaries and you as a parent need to respect those boundaries. That means being on time for school meetings, not calling or emailing on weekends and expecting an immediate response, and keeping clear communication ahead of time. It also means respecting that they need to leave the school at a reasonable hour for their own self-care and mental health.
Even if your teacher is not a parent or they have adult children, they still are a parent figure to their students. They are a vital part of the team that is educating and raising your child, along with extended family, coaches, babysitters and health professionals. I get gift cards or treats pretty regularly for my kids’ teachers to show my appreciation. I also ask often if they need any supplies or snacks restocked.
Getting Political
So we are all on the same page, this country has a teacher shortage. We still have remedial work due to the pandemic. We have state educational mandates on book banning, critical race theory, LGBTQ+ rights, and a mental health crisis across the board. There’s also recession, inflation, crazy climate change, and people still going ape over the lack of Pledge of Allegiance. Teachers aren’t getting paid enough on any level to deal with this type of turmoil on top of their actual jobs.
These issues touch public, private, and charter school teachers as well as their admin teams. Regardless of your personal stance on any of these issues, at the end of the day it’s teachers doing the actual work of getting your child through school academically.
If I had all of this much political noise surrounding my job, I would have a ton of professional stress. If I had parents constantly hounding me about how I did my job, I would probably quit as well.
If you have concerns about these political issues, they are something you can talk to your kid about at home. You do not have to bully your public school teacher over your personal beliefs. And if you feel that strongly about your personal beliefs, then there are private, religious, and homeschool options to fit you.
Last week I was at a work training and one of our guest speakers said that school can be transactional or transformational. During the elementary years, so much pressure hangs on teachers to not only get your child through the standard curriculum, but also develop social skills, executive function, and foster a love of learning. And if teachers don’t love their jobs, we need to ask why and how we can help.
What other things have you done to support your kid’s teacher? Leave friendly suggestions in the comments.
Child(ish) Advice 