Tips for a Great School Year

With Little Man attending his first ever schooling experience this year, I am now in a very different role.  I'm a parent.  Not a teacher.  I am subjected to a whole different set of rules.  I am on  very different side of the boundary line.  I am not the one making the rules, nor drawing the boundary lines, but the one that will follow.  As I think about what this upcoming year will look like for Little Man, I am not the one doing the planning.  Definitely a new role for me, and a new role for Little Man.

Looking back as a teacher, I realize there were common mistakes that well intentioned (and some not so well intentioned) parents in every class made every year.  I vow not to make these same mistakes this year or the years to come.

• I will not suggest how the teacher should run her classroom to better my child.  Yes, I may know what's best for my child, but I do not know what's best for all the children in that classroom. 
• I will not automatically believe every story that comes out of my child's mouth.  I will first check with the teacher to get his/her side.
• I will not go above the teacher's head without first discussing the problem with them.
• I will stay within my time limit during conferences.  Even though my child is my most favorite topic, I will realize there are 20+ other parents who want to talk about their child as well.
• I will NEVER discuss issues I may or may not have with a teacher in front of my child.  There is nothing more detrimental to my child's learning when children are subjected to hearing negative things about their teacher.
• I will not request my child to be moved from one classroom to the next just because the other class is doing more of the 'fun' stuff.
• I will not knock on the teacher's door after school has already started without permission, even if it's just to drop off a quick item.  The office is more than capable of getting items to my child without interrupting the classroom.
• I will not take my kid out on a day of fun just because they missed a goal and didn't earn a reward.  If my child fails to receive a reward they will sit at school and see how it feels to underachieve.  I will not reward them underachievement.
• I will accept responsibility for my child's poor actions.  I will not ask who else participated in the poor behavior.  All that matters is my child chose to participate.
• I will not allow my child to use extra-curricular activities as an excuse for homework not being complete.  If they are not able to get their work in on time because of sports, then they won't be doing sports.  Believe me, that will be a hard one.  Sports are important in the Torres household.
• I will not do my child's work or projects.

And, I think that's it.  For now at least.  It's a lengthy list, and I know I may be tempted as a parent to cross one of those lines, but in order to have the best possible relationship with my child's teacher I will follow these guidelines. 

{One of my classes @ Tsa La Gi}

And, if you're wondering, all of the above items I witnessed either through my own classroom or my fellow teachers.  They happened every single year.  Sometimes by the nicest of the parents, and sometimes by the biggest buttheads.  In the end, it always hurt the child more.  They pick up on parent behaviors and start to model them.  Not a place I want my child to be.