Introducing Your Kid to Their New Teacher
As the new school year starts, parents have plenty of stress to manage: Whether they chose virtual or face-to-face, or didn’t have a choice at all… Would their child be able to keep their mask on and stay a safe distance from their peers all day? How long will schools be open before another case appears and shuts it all down again? And are parents prepared for the scrambling (personally and professionally) if that happens?
In addition to all of that, there’s another stress factor for parents with children who have the following considerations:
· Trauma history
· Mental health diagnosis
· Learning challenges
· Sensory needs
· Processing delays
· Recent changes or disruptions in home life
The additional stressor for parents of these kids: How can I inform the teacher of my child’s needs and how to work best with my child, without labeling or stigmatizing my child AND without stepping on the teacher’s toes/coming across as a hyper-vigilant helicopter parent? In my personal and professional experience, I’m not sure there’s a perfect way to do this. Trying to fill the teacher in during one of those brief “Meet the Teacher” events will probably end up feeling overwhelming to both of you. Scheduling a conference with the teacher can be a better way to relay your information (especially if you have something you can give the teacher to keep for reference), but conferences are typically scheduled well after the new school year is underway. A lot of parents choose to write a letter the their child’s new teacher, give it to the teacher during the first meeting, and ask that the teacher reviews it before the first day of school. This seems to be a respectful, less-pressure way to communicate. So, how do you write this letter?
Here are a few things to keep in mind:
You are giving the teacher this information to make their job easier, NOT to tell them how to do it
Share your child’s strengths, not just their challenges
Be sure to include any mental health diagnosis and identified learning challenges
Mention if your child has accommodations or special services already in place from the previous school year
Give a head’s up if there have been any changes to or losses in the family in the last several months
Keep it brief (bonus points for bullet points!)
Feel free to use the example handout I’ve included below. And if you’re a parent feeling overwhelmed and in need of some more support, please reach out today. Sessions can be scheduled around school and work so you can make the most out of our time together.
