40 Things Your Child’s Teacher Wants You to Know

Taking a look inside the mind of a teacher can help you better understand lesson plans and help your child perform better.

40 Things Your Child’s Teacher Wants You to Know

Don’t hesitate to reach out

Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions you may have. Your child’s success is as important to us as it is to you. Families and teachers should have open communication to help students achieve their full potential.

Create rules at home

It is possible to help students behave in school by creating a system of rewards and consequences at home. If you reward them for good days at school, they will be more likely to repeat them.

Their homework isn’t going to look the same as yours

It’s not unusual for your child’s homework to look unfamiliar to you due to the change in teaching methods over the years. Just because you learned something different doesn’t mean they shouldn’t use a particular math strategy. Make sure you are familiar with newer methods so you can help your child when he or she has a question.

Have your child keep a journal

You should encourage your child to keep a journal from an early age. Make them draw pictures and write notes about their day. For students, it’s a good way to reflect and set goals. Additionally, it is a safe place for them to express their emotions.

We have your child’s best interests in mind

Whether we call home or give your child a recommendation, it’s not to discourage them, it’s to help them succeed. Teachers usually have their students’ best interests in mind and will go the extra mile to help them in any way they can.

Come back from vacations earlier

Sending your kids back to school the day after a long flight is never a good idea. The majority of the time, they are wiped out and unable to function properly. It’s also a good idea not to schedule a vacation during the first few days of the school year. This puts a lot of pressure on your child to catch up when they return, which causes a lot of stress for both students and teachers.

Play time is just as important as time in the classroom

Parents don’t realize how much their children are learning when they play with other children. The benefits of play for development are numerous. As kids grow, they learn social skills such as negotiation and communication, as well as how to understand their bodies and how to learn by trial and error.

Our jobs aren’t cute

You shouldn’t tell us that our jobs are “so cute” and that you wish you could glue and color all day long if we teach young children. Outside of the home, children reveal a whole new side of themselves.

I’m not a marriage counselor

Let’s keep parent-teacher conferences focused on your child’s progress, not how your husband doesn’t help you around the house. These 22 things your child’s principal is secretly thinking also have a lot to say about your child.

We hate testing too

It’s time to get rid of standardized tests and teach to the test.

Technology has changed kids’ behavior (for the worse)

Playing after school and resolving problems on your own used to be the norm for kids. As a result of computers and television, they are unable to communicate effectively. It is difficult for them to get over hurt feelings without telling the teacher and having her fix it for them.

We notice your kid’s manners

I remember that a student’s manners reflect those of his parents when I hear a loud belch.

Every kid is special… But…

Despite the fact that your child may be the center of your universe, I have to share mine with 25 other people. Make sure your child knows these 11 secret habits of straight-A students.

Cell phones can be a huge distraction

We would appreciate it if you could turn off the texting feature on your child’s phone during school hours.

Why aren’t we compensated more?

A dribbler can make up to $20 million a year if he dribbles a ball for a couple of hours a game. Our annual salary is $51,000, and we educate future leaders. Check out these hilarious real-life teacher stories if you want a laugh.

We wear a lot of hats

As mothers, fathers, psychologists, friends, and advisers, we take on many roles every day. In addition, we keep an eye out for learning disabilities, issues at home, peer pressure, drug abuse, and bullying.

If you talk about it at home, we know about it

It’s not uncommon for kids to spill all your secrets to each other: money, religion, politics, even Dad’s vasectomy.

Want to get us a gift?

Neither mugs, frames, nor stuffed animals please. It would be sufficient to give a gift card to Starbucks or Staples. A thank-you note would be even better. We have compiled a list of 30 thoughtful and affordable teacher gifts.

Thank goodness for vacation days!

As much as your child loves snow days and three-day weekends, so do we.

These are the best students

Not necessarily the best-performing students are the ones we remember, but the ones who are respectful, happy, and good-hearted. You need to tell your kids these 10 compliments.

My rule for hormonal middle-schoolers:

Please keep your hands visible to me.

My first year of teaching, a fifth-grader actually threw a chair at me

He told me recently that he just graduated from college. I think that’s what makes it all worthwhile.

You do your job, I’ll do mine

I have parents who are CEOs of their own companies come in and advise me on how to run my classroom. They would never think to go to my office and ask me how to do their jobs.

We don’t arrive at school ten minutes before your child does

The moment they get back on the bus, we don’t leave. After school and before school, many of us put in extra hours.

We are not the enemy

There is really no difference between parents and teachers.

Kids lie

The truth is that your kid will lie to get out of trouble. Here are 12 things your school bus driver wishes you knew.

Encourage your child to keep reading

At any age, that’s the key to success in the classroom.

It’s their homework, not yours

There is a difference between a parent helping their child with homework and doing it for them (especially when they’re clueless in class the next day).

Teaching is a calling

There isn’t a single teacher alive who will say that she went into this for money.

Check their homework

It does not mean that your child did his homework just because he says he did it. It is imperative that you check. Each night.

We get jaded too

Many of us no longer enjoy teaching as much as we once did. A student’s disrespect and a parent’s belligerence can take its toll on us.

Talk to your kids

What kids really crave is for you to talk to them, not give them the expensive gadgets and labels. It is important for kids to know that you are interested in their lives.

We spend money out of our own pockets

Often, teachers purchase school supplies and shoes for their students.

Don’t be a helicopter parent

The importance of supportive, involved parents cannot be overstated. Some parents hover too much, and they are called “helicopter parents.”

Summer isn’t always a picnic

In order to make ends meet, many of us have to take on extra jobs during the summer: teaching summer school, tutoring.

Academics aren’t everything

Making kids memorize flashcards and preparing them for Ivy League schools does not guarantee success. Parents who are responsible know that college is for every kid, and that responsibility and good citizenship are the keys to success.

These are today’s homework excuses

The phrase “the dog ate my homework” is no longer used. We often hear “I left it on the kitchen table.” And then Mom will send in a note to prove it. You won’t hear these things from your nanny.

Don’t make us the bad guys

Please don’t ask us to do your dirty work. Rather than urging us to bend rules, we wish parents would force their kids to accept responsibility for their actions.

Let your kids make mistakes

We know you mean well, but let your child make mistakes instead of doing everything for them. What other way can they learn? When children feel their parents will bail them out every time, they are not motivated to succeed.

Good kids make all the difference

There are days when I just want to give up. It all changes when that one smile comes from that one kid. Check out these stories about amazing teachers who changed the lives of their students if you need more reasons to love teachers.