While your child’s teacher is an expert in educating children, no one knows your child as well as you do. Students do best when parents and teachers work together as partners. That means parents sharing any information about their child that might affect their school performance and teachers sharing what they are seeing in the classroom.
Emily Graham in School Family-your go-to guide for school success has come up with 7 things teachers wish you would tell them.
1) Health conditions
If your child is diabetic, uses an inhaler, is allergic to peanuts, or has a serious health condition, their teacher should know. It’s also helpful to let the teacher know whether your child has been diagnosed with conditions like ADHD, which may affect behavior and concentration.
2) Family issues
Fill in the teacher if your family is going through a major change that could affect your child, such as a divorce, a death in the family, or a move. Even if your child seems to have adjusted well, it may help to alert teachers so they can watch for behavioral changes.
3) Personality traits or behavior issues
Maybe your son is painfully shy and is worried about making friends at a new school. Or perhaps your kindergartner has been having tantrums at home and you’re concerned she’ll do the same at school. It’s best to make teachers aware of these issues before they become a problem at school.
4) Strengths and weaknesses
Your daughter is a star student in math but is embarrassed to read aloud. Your son loves language arts but struggles with science. If you tell teachers these things up front, they’ll have more time to help your children improve in the areas they need it most.
5) Learning style
You’ve spent years teaching your kids, from potty training to tying shoelaces, so you have a good idea of their learning styles. If your child learns better through hands-on activities than through listening to explanations, mention that to his teacher. Also share any teaching strategies that you’ve found work well with your child.
6) Study habits
Does your son speed through math homework but labor over reading assignments? Do your daughter’s grades suffer because she spends so much time at skating lessons? Tell teachers about your children’s study habits and any issues they face in completing the work. Teachers often can offer suggestions to make homework time go more smoothly.
7) Special interests
Knowing more about your child’s hobbies or interests can help the teacher forge connections in the classroom. Let the teacher know that your young son loves a particular comic book superhero and that your middle school daughter is a gifted painter.
