Ready Set Go: Summer Week 8

With the start of school next week (the week of August 13^th), I have been reading several articles about getting students off to a good start.  I recently read an article titled 7 things to tell the teacher about your child.  The article focused on the valuable insights a parent/guardian can give a teacher to help influence a scholar’s experience in school.  Establishing this connection between home and school helps to build a lasting partnership that helps the scholar develop as a learner.

Health conditions

If your child has allergies, or any other health condition, the teacher should know. It’s also helpful to let the teacher know whether your child has been diagnosed with conditions that may affect behavior and concentration.

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 as these changes may impact a student’s behavior.

Personality traits or behavior issues

Let your scholar’s teacher know that your child is painfully shy and is worried about making friends at a new school. Or perhaps has been having tantrums at home and you’re concerned she’ll do the same at school. Letting the teacher know about your concerns will help the teacher address them at school.

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.  Let the teacher know your student’s interests.

Learning style

You’ve spent years teaching your children 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 the teacher. Also, share any teaching strategies that you’ve found work well with your child.

Study habits

Does your son speed through math homework but labor over reading assignments? 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.

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 child loves a particular superhero or loves the arts.