Meeting Your Child's Teachers

• Write-down questions with your child about the school and the teachers before you visit.

• Visit the school in the classroom with your child prior to school starting. Often schools have an open house where you can go to the school and meet the teachers.

• Meet the Teachers. Introduce your child to the teacher and principal. Explain to your child the roles of the teacher and principal. Let them know that adults at school are helpers your child can go to when they need help, (have a conflict, have a question etc.)

• Invite your teacher over to your house for tea, lunch or dinner. Often teachers welcome getting to know the students and their families and are thrilled to join you. Be sensitive to the teacher’s schedules, if they are unable to come over, perhaps later in the year. They’ll still appreciate the invitation.

• Let the teacher know you are there to support them and if they have any questions or ideas about your child, let them know they can come to you with ideas and suggestions and you welcome the feedback.

• Let the teachers do the job they are assigned to do. Nobody knows your kid better than you do, and it’s really easy to want to tell teachers how to teach your child – don’t do it. Let the teacher figure it out for themselves. Teachers are trained to handle lots of different personalities, different learning styles and a variety of moods all at once. Telling the teacher how to teach will only wreak subtle havoc between you, the teacher and your child.