Teachers as Mentors
It's important to remember that you, as a parent, are not working in isolation. You can present a united front that is fortified by your capable coworkers — the staff at your daughter's school — who will do all they can to facilitate your girl's swift and smooth rise to the top. Working hand in hand with your daughter's teachers, you become a team that is dedicated to bringing out the best in children, yours among them. What they bring to the table, you supplement, and they complement what you have already instilled in your girl. In fact, your child's teachers can mentor your daughter to such a degree that she will blossom in school and outside.
To kick off the spirit of cooperation between you and your daughter's teacher, you want to know more about what they do, so you can bolster their efforts at home. Teachers have their areas of expertise. Some of the most important ones include:
Planning and preparing. Teachers spend a great deal of time planning their lessons, organizing the material, and getting ready for students' individual differences.
Having the appropriate teaching materials at hand and presenting the information in an engaging manner.
Managing the behavior of their students and dealing with disruptions.
Checking homework, giving feedback, and testing for advanced skills and increased knowledge.
Interacting with other staff members.
Knowing the teachers' many duties, you can fill in at home what your daughter might be lacking in her educational background and in-class behavior.
To maximize her teachers' work, make sure your daughter is 100 percent ready for learning every day by:
Being prepared for each school day with her books and signed notes tucked into her book bag the night before.
Having the right school supplies with her, and being ready to listen and pay attention in class.
Being well-behaved in class and causing no unnecessary interruptions.
Always having her homework done and being prepared for all quizzes, tests, and exams.
Insisting your girl goes by the dress code and looks like a student ready to learn.
Essential
Much work in school revolves around note-taking. Work with your daughter on that skill. Even in first grade, she should be able to pick out the main points of a short talk. Tell her about your plans for the upcoming holidays, for example, and see if she can write down some items. Never mind the spelling. Praise her for trying.
Having your daughter and her teachers on the same page can double her gains in achievement, and knowing that her parents care about her education will add an extra boost to her desire to learn. Additionally, her teachers will feel gratified that you understand their tough job and are doing your best to support them.
