Tuesday, December 10, 2013

What Teachers Think You Know

Policies, procedures, oh my!
We send home a parent handbook full of these at the beginning of the school year and ask that you return the signed pages the next day.  Signing those papers tells us that you understood the content of the handbook and will now be held accountable for following the school's guidelines.  
How familiar are you with these guidelines and are you following them?
Chances are, you might be a rule breaker.  

Common rules broken:
1) Attendance - do you know how many unexcused absences are allowed throughout the school year?  Tardies?  Early dismissals?
2) Illness - your kid threw up at school but was fine the rest of the day, can they go back to school the next day?
3) Dismissal - "omg, why do I have to have to follow this protocol when I'm their mom/dad?"  Safety and security reasons. Please just kindly follow them.  Is your child going home a different way today?  Do you need to let the school know?
4) Lunch - can you sit with your child and their class?  Is the school an allergy environment that you can't pack certain foods?  Are students allowed to talk or are quiet lunches enforced?
5) Child Development - some teachers are very tiptoe about telling you that your child is behind.  So much so that you might not even realize it unless you actually understood child development yourself.  Take a minute during your next parent conference to ask if what they are telling you means that your child is on point or is in need of additional support.

I'd flat out answer these questions but each school can be different.  To know what the policies are at your child's school; read the handbook.  Lost the handbook?  Ask the teacher.  We can provide you the answer and/or another handbook. :)

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