What Teachers Wish Parents Knew
Crayons—Everyone’s crayons break, the wrappers peel off, and the boxes break.
Folders—Plain are best. We know your little ones like The Transformers and Dora, but please when you send them to school buy them one of their favorite color and write their name in big, clear letters on the front.
School Secretary—She is the school secretary, not the liaison between you and your child for messages such as “remember, to go to Johnny’s after school for your playdate” or “remember, Mrs. Nelson will pick you up today.” Make sure you tell your child important messages before they leave for school, then reinforce it with a note.
School Dress Code—School is for learning, not for Haute Couture. Keep their outfits tasteful, youthful, and bling-free.
Cell Phones—Check with your school for their rules regarding cell phone usage. Generally, they are not allowed in schools. But if they are make sure the phone is on silent and your child knows it stays in their backpack or locker.
Underpants—Accidents happen! If you have a child in PreK-K or K, put an extra pair (or 2) of their underwear in a brown bag with their name on it. And make sure to replace it with another pair, if they come home wearing it one day.
Lunch—Don’t get fancy. We know you like to cook croquette’s with a red wine reduction at home, but complicated, fancy meals are smelly and down right messy. Stick to P&J on white—there is a reason it’s a classic!
Assignment Books—Check your child’s assignment book every night. Your child may tell you they do not have any homework, but it just may have slipped his mind.
What Coaches Wish Parents Knew
We want to win, but we want to let everybody play. This isn’t the Olympics folks, it’s the pee-wee leagues. We are going to be fair and let every kid get their chance to show us what they’ve got. End of issue.
We don’t have any say on whose name gets printed in the paper. If we did, we’d have ESPN at every game, capturing every play. But we don’t. I mean, if you do have a contact at the local paper…it could never hurt to invite him to a game or two.
We need help keeping the books. Coaches can’t do everything. Just like teachers need homeroom moms and dads, we need help with things like keeping score, running the snack bar, handling uniforms, and carpooling. At the beginning of the season ask your coach where help is needed and then volunteer your assistance. Not only are you helping the team, you get more time to see your little one in action.
No one gets to skip practice. Sometime we don’t want to go to practice either, but we made a commitment to your kids. And they made a commitment to the team. We know things come up, but please keep missing practice to a minimum. When one team member isn’t at a practice, it generally affects the whole team.
We don’t like to play in the mud either. So, it’s not our fault if your child’s uniform is covered in mud. Kids playing sports are going to get dirty. It’s what you sign up for—so don’t blame us for the extra laundry.
