Back to school 2021 is quickly approaching, bringing conflicting emotions for each one of us.  Putting aside the unknown about whether or not our children will be in-person, hybrid, remote or even focusing on masked or unmasked, what do you want to see out of this year?  I’m sure it’s reasonable to say that at the very least, we want to see our children happy and learning.  

How do we prepare?   One of the best ways to begin is by building a positive relationship with your child’s teacher immediately.  Here are some questions you could ask:

• What is your schedule, routine and expectations for the classroom? 

• How will you assess where our child is at the beginning of the year? How are these assessments designed to support learning?

• How can we support our child’s learning at home?  How can we support literacy at home?

• How do you handle behaviors or emotional struggles a child may have?

• What is the best way to communicate with you? 

• Are there skills that were missed during COVID that will need to be addressed this year?

• How do you promote creative learning within your classroom? How is learning personalized?

• What should I ask my child each day when they come home from school?

• What is your perspective on homework?

• How will you respond if or when our child struggles?

• What am I not asking but should be?

After spending almost 20 years within schools and backed by research, I found the most success when I built a positive relationship with the parent(s) as early as possible.  I wanted parents to feel comfortable to ask questions and check in.  This also allowed me to have harder conversations with the parent(s) later on when there may have been a concern I needed to share with them.  Having built that trust early, made a difficult conversation a bit easier.  What is important to you as a parent?  As a teacher?  

#standreadytosupport