9 Things All School Teachers Wish Parents Knew
You've gotten your kids' schedules, supply lists, and back-to-school outfits ready. But if there's one thing you're missing before classes start up again this fall, it's some brutally honest advice.
GoodHousekeeping.com asked teachers from across the country to share what they think parents should hear before next semester begins, and the answers came in loud and clear. Moms and dads need to rein in kids' cell phone usage, double down on books, and most importantly work with educators as a team.
There's definitely some truth to the idea of "it takes a village." Here's what this part of the village had to say:
Forgive us if we don't respond to emails right away.
"I wish parents would allow teachers two or three days to respond to their emails and phone calls. Teachers are 'on' from the time they reach campus to the moment they drive home. Between morning staff meetings, requests from administrators in the middle of a lesson, confrontations in the hallways, and surprise drills, there is little time to sit down and provide long, detailed responses to a parent's specific request about their child. The delayed response is not because we don't care — it's because we have so much on our plates with little time to slow down." — Danielle, high school English teacher in Florida.
"We are also wives, moms, daughters, and caregivers. I often have parents angry I don’t respond to an email in four hours or try to communicate with me at 11 p.m." — Ashley, fourth grade teacher in New Jersey.
Kids really do need to read, read, read.
"I wish parents knew just how important it is for their child to read 30 minutes every single day and for struggling readers to read 60 minutes." — Stacey, second grade teacher in Oregon.
"Reading is not 'homework.' It needs to be part of life ... If you can't read, you will struggle in all subjects." — Diana, middle school math/science teacher in Washington.
"I wish parents knew that the single best thing they could do to prepare their child for school is, from the day they are born, to read out loud to them every single day. Every. Single. Day." — Kim, third grade teacher in North Carolina.
You need to get way stricter about their phones.
"Kids in [middle school] need to have their use of electronic devices and social media monitored and limited. A good practice would be to lock the devices up at bedtime so kids won’t tempted by them rather than getting much needed rest. Some of my students come to class exhausted from texting and engaging in social media for hours after their parents think they’ve gone to sleep." — Ginny, seventh grade language arts teacher in New Jersey.
"It’s incredibly important that students have a quiet place in their house that is free from electronic distractions in order to complete their work and get a good night’s sleep. The value of sleep cannot be stressed enough when considering academic success for students. It would be helpful if students kept their electronics outside of the bedroom."— Kathryn, sixth grade language arts teacher in New Jersey.
And you should put yours down too.
"I wish parents knew to talk to their kids. Have conversations every chance they get — in the car, after school, during meals, etc. Put down devices and talk to one another!" — Patti, third grade teacher in New Jersey.
Energy drinks? Never a good idea.
"Energy drinks are my personal least favorite. Freshman will drink Monster and lose their minds by fourth period." — Georgie, high school math teacher in North Carolina.
Your kid could be living a double life.
"I wish parents knew that their child’s behavior at home is not the same as their behavior at school. Teachers have the best interest of students at heart and if they report on a behavior, that really happened. Trust us." — Lauren, fourth grade teacher in Washington.
"When we need to address a problem, it is real!" — Tracey, third grade teacher in Ohio.
It's okay if they make mistakes on their homework.
"I wish parents would not fix homework. A lot of times I have explained how I want it done, which may not be the way YOU would do it! Mistakes also tell me how I need to work with your child. If their work is always 100% correct, I won't know they need more of my help to understand. It also emphasizes to them that you think they are not capable of doing it — not a good message to build confident learners." — Mindi, first grade teacher in New York.
Yep, we're not perfect.
"We aren't superheroes. We are just doing a job we love. Sometimes we knock it out of the park. Sometimes we fall on our faces. Most days we are somewhere between the two. We can't do it all (remind us of that sometimes). We need your help and words of encouragement, too." — Jenn, second grade teacher in Oklahoma.
But we genuinely care about your kids.
"I refer to my students as 'my kids.' I worry when they are out sick, am excited when they finally understand a difficult concept, and am proud when they graduate high school and continue their education or enter the workforce. — Lauren, digital media arts instructor in Pennsylvania.
"I wish parents knew that we love their children and only want to help them become the very best that they can be! Sometimes that will involve making them unhappy for a bit when they are disciplined for misbehaving, but trust us! We know what we are doing!" — Jackie, first grade teacher in Pennsylvania.
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